Gleanings and reminiscences

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I

"Xw*

GLEANINGS

AND

REMINISCENCES,

GLEANINGS

AND

REMINISCENCES.

BY

FRANK THORPE PORTER, A.M., J.P.,

BARRI3TER-AT-LAW.

AND FOR UPWARDS OF TWENTY YEARS A MAGISTRATE OF
THR HEAD OFFICE OF DUBLIN POLICE.

Scare tuum nihil est, nisi te scire hoc sciat alter."— Persius.

THIRD EDITION.

DUBLIN:
HODGES, FOSTER, & CO., GRAFTON STREET.

LONDON:

SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, & CO., STATIONERS* HALL COURT.

1875. y

THE NEW \URK

PUBLIC LIBRARY

48521s

AflTOR, LtNOX AND

TJLDEN FOUNDATION*.

R 1910 L

i*

To

Captain Luke John Henry Alen,

Of Wellington Road, Dublin,
The direct representative of a family mentioned in the 2nd chapter,

%\\& Vobxmt,
As an acknowledgment of

V

His sterling and disinterested friendships

ft

ts

inscribed.

PREFACE.

In submitting the following pages to the consideration
of the public, I am influenced by a desire to extend the
appetite which is so greedy in devouring fiction to some
morsels of fact.

Several of my narratives refer to incidents which, in
their disclosures, might occasion disagreeable feelings to
the parties or to their kindred. In such cases, I shall
adopt fictitious names; but in all the details offered to
the reader, I shall include nothing which I do not firmly
believe or personally know to be strictly true. To the
former class must be referred several anecdotes derived
from parental lips, and referring to years previous to my
birth. In a theatre, the performers are neither applauded
nor hissed from behind the scenes. The judgment which
they have to encounter is that of the audience. As a
literary manager, I shall leave each tragic or comic in-
cident to the unbiassed opinion and criticism of my
readers. I shall occasionally have to encounter the
danger arising from allowing a great culprit to escape,

A 2

vi Preface.

or a virtuous and estimable individual to undergo mis-
fortune. In this respect the writer of fiction possesses
a vast advantage. He can lavish every worldly blessing
on the deserving, and allot the direst punishments to
vice and crime. But when we have to deal with stern
realities, we may regret the occurrence of a fact which
leaves guilt undetected and innocence in deep affliction.
I <:an, however, safely assert, upon the experience of a
long professional and official life, that vice seldom attains
to great worldly prosperity, and that worth and integrity
are rarely subjected to utter destitution.

It is difficult to classify anecdotes or reminiscences
which are not connected with each other. The course I
propose to adopt is to lay before my readers the narratives
which I have derived from sources anterior to my birth,
from lips truthful and occasionally humorous, but now
silent for ever. I shall reserve, as far as possible, my
own personal recollections for the latter part of this pub-
lication, in the hope that the amusement and information
obtained from others, may soften the critical reader to
an indulgent reception of the portion peculiarly connected
with myself. I may remark that some anecdotes in
which my name is introduced have been very extensively
published in several periodicals. I accord to their authors
my willing testimony as to their great imaginative power,
for in the statements concerning me there is not one
word of truth. My friend, Mr. Fitzpatrick, in his recent
productions of " The Sham Squire" and " Ireland before
the Union," has mentioned me as the source from which

Preface. vii

he derived the particulars of a few incidents in those
interesting works. His unexaggcrated correctness forms a
strong contrast to the flippant fictions of others. How-
ever, when my name is brought before the public, in
reference either to fiction or fact, it affords me some
apology for appearing in proprid persond.

F. T. P.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

PAGE

Lonergan's Case— Old Prisons i

CHAPTER II.
Vcsey and Keogh 8

CHAPTER III.
Mary Tudor 20

CHAPTER IV.

The Birth of a Word— A Letter of Introduction— The Honor of

Knighthood 31

CHAPTER V.
A Millionaire 39

CHAPTER VI.

The Ship Street Diamond— Second-hand Plate— The Silver Slab —

Law's Window — Old Newgate 42

CHAPTER VII.
Gonne's Watch 53

CHAPTER VIII.
The Major 61

CHAPTER IX.

Committals — A Barber Wanted — Dwyer the Rebel — An Extraor-
dinary Inquest — Sergeant Greene's Horse — Christy Hughes —
The Police Clerks— Recorder Walker— The Police Statutes-
Preamble — A Benefit Society Case — Police Recruits -A Born
Soldier 72

Contents.

CHAPTER X. pack

Mendicancy 89

CHAPTER XI.
Carriage Court Cases— Dublin Carmen 97

CHAPTER XII.

A Gratuitous Jaunt — The Portuguese Postillion— A Few Hyperboles

- -Miscellaneous Summonses . . . . . . .190

CHAPTER XIII.

Dogs — Whipping Young Thieves — Garden Robbers — Reformatories

— Apologies for Violence — Trespassers on a Nunnery ♦ .118

CHAPTER XIV.
Terry Driscoll's Fiction — Bridget Laffan — Sailors — Fisher . .129

CHAPTER XV.
A Duper Duped 137

CHAPTER XVI.

Who threw the Bottle ?— Excise and Customs Cases . . .148

CHAPTER XVII.

John Sargeant— The Magisterial Offices — Two Murders — One Re-
prieved— Delahunr/s Crimes 158

CHAPTER XVIII.

Murder of Mr. Little — Detective Inefficiency — Individual Efficiency
— A False Accusation Exposed — Extraordinary Gratitude — A
Salutary Reformation— A Charge of Felony — Poor Puss, who
shot her? — Baxter and Barnes 173

CHAPTER XIX.

A Run to Connaught — A Present — A Puzzle — Moll Raffle — A Lucky

. Accusation — Crown Witnesses — Who blew up King William ? —

Surgical Assistance — A Rejected Suitor — George Robins — The

Greek Count : The Rats— The Lucky Shot— The Child of the

Alley 190

Contents. xi

CHAPTER XX.

PACK

O'Connell— Smith O'Brien and Meagher— John Mitchel— Informers
—The Close of 1848— The Military— A French View of Popular
Commotions .......... 208

CHAPTER XXI.

Cholera: An Impatient Patient; Good News J only Typhus Fever —
Royal Visits — Scotch Superiority strongly asserted — A Police
Bill stigmatised — Leave of Absence — The Rhine — The Rhine-
land 228

CHAPTER XXII.

Brussels— Royal Children— The Great Exhibition in London — Home
Again : A Preacher — Unlucky Rioters — Visit to Paris — Michel
Perrin 247

CHAPTER XXIII.
The Count or Convict, which ?— The Fawn's Escape . 282

CHAPEER XXIV.
The Count de Coucy — Dumas — A Threatened Suicide . . . 307

CHAPTER XXV.

Dargan's Exhibition— A Bell and Knocker — Lord Gough — Father
Pecherine's Case — Assaults and Thefts — The City Militia — A
Scald quickly cured — Sailors leaving their Ship . . .321

CHAPTER XXVI.

Effects of Enlistment — Martial Tendencies — The She Barracks —
The Dublin Garrison — An Artillery Amazon — A Colonel of
Dragoons — Donnybrobk Fair — The Liquor Traffic . • . 339

CHAPTER XXVII.

The College Row— The Cook Street Printer— A Question and An-
swer— A Barrister — An Attorney — Gibraltar .... 356

CHAPTER XXVIII.
Gibraltar, etntinued ..... . " . .' 374

xii Contents.

CHAJPTER XXIX.

PAGE

Gibraltar, continued— Departure for Home — Charity, real Charity —
A Death and Funeral— The Bay of Biscay again — At Home :
Leisure no Pleasure — A Review 391

CHAPTER XXX.
A Dublin Dentist 406

CHAPTER XXXI.

A Trip to the North — Metrical Attempts — Contrasts — Paris : a Fair
— A Review — Nadar's Balloon— Sport, Turf, Boxing— Liquor
Vehicles — No Hods — A Horse, a Dog, Rats .... 423

CHAPTER XXXII.

Contrasts— French Kitchens — Shops and Signs — The Seine — Trees
and Flowers— A Pretty Thief— French Wit— French Silver—
The Hotel des Invalides 440

CHAPTER XXXIII.

Gain preferred to Glory — Curious Inscriptions — Former Gambling —

An Assault — French Charity — A Letter to Heaven . . 459

CHAPTER XXXIV.
Father Prout 468

CHAPTER XXXV.

A French Land Murder — Irishmen, French Ecclesiastics — Algerian

Productions — Bird Charming — Brittany— Chateaubriand . . 473

CHAPTER XXXVI.
The Arran Islands — Circuit Reminiscences — Conclusion . . . 483

*lll

GLEANINGS AND REMINISCENCES.

CHAPTER I.

LONERGAN'S CASE OLD PRISONS.

Although it is probable that I may bring before my
readers an incident or two of a more remote date, I shall
commence with the narrative of an alleged crime and its
supposed punishment, which has been adverted to by
Sir Jonah Barrington in his " Personal Recollections,"
Vol. L, page 53, and in the description of which he has
lapsed into considerable inaccuracy. According to him,
the name of the person chiefly concerned was "Lanegan ;"
but in that respect there is a positive error ; for by exa-
mining the records of the Crown Office, (Ireland,) I find
the name, as my father had frequently stated to me, to
be "Lonergan." He was a young man who had been
educated at the school of the Rev. Eugene M'Kenna, of
Raheny, in the County of Dublin, and from that estab-
lishment entered Trinity College, Dublin, in the year
1773. During his undergraduate course, he resided with
Mr. McKenna, and acted as an assistant in the school.
In 1777, having finished his University studies, he became
a tutor in the family of Mr. Thomas O'Flaherty, of Castle-
field, in the County of Kilkenny. That gentleman was

B

Gleanings and Reminiscences.

singularly unfortunate in having married a woman of
most depraved tendencies. She engaged in a intrigue
with Lonergan, and on the a8th of June, 1778, Mr.
OTlaherty died under circumstances which occasioned
the arrest of Lonergan, on a charge of having poisoned
him. The woman evaded arrest and escaped to a foreign
country. Some time must have elapsed between the
commission of the crime and the apprehension of the
accused party, for it was not until the Summer Assizes of
Kilkenny, in 1781, that Lonergan was arraigned for Petit
Treason, the offence being considered by the law, as it
then existed, as more aggravated than murder, inasmuch
as he was in the domestic service of the man whom he
was alleged to have destroyed. He succeeded, on certain
legal grounds, in postponing his trial ; but in the ensuing
term a writ of certiorari issued, and the indictment was
removed to the Court of King's Bench. A trial at bar
was held on November iath, 1781, the jury having been
brought up from Kilkenny. The prisoner was convicted,
and sentenced to be hanged and quartered on the 24th
of the aforesaid month, and the sheriffs of the City of
Dublin were directed to have the sentence carried into
effect. At the time of his conviction, the prisoner de-
clared that he was innocent of the crime; but he ad-
mitted that he bought arsenic at the instance of Mrs.
OTlaherty, who, according to his statement, told him
that she intended to use it in destroying rats. He did
not deny the imputation of an adulterous intrigue with
her. The Rev. Mr. M'Kenna did not forget his former
pupil and assistant. He visited him in prison, testified
to his character in very favorable terms at the trial, and,
after condemnation, was assiduous in preparing him to
meet his impending doom with Christian resignation.

Lonergan's Case.

He determined to attend him to the termination of his
sufferings, and to pay the last duties to his remains.
M'Kenna was married to a cousin of my father, and he
was on terms of the closest intimacy with our family.
My father resided in Skinner Row, (now Christ Church
Place,) Dublin ; and at the period to which this narrative
refers, he was in the prime of life — tall, vigorous, and
active. He was also Serjeant of the grenadier company
of the Dublin Volunteers. He had known the unhappy
Lonergan during the peaceful and comparative innocent
days that the latter had spent at Raheny. He pitied the
miserable fate of the culprit, doubted his guilt, and sym-
pathized with the worthy man whose pious solicitude
and friendship still sought to console the spirit that was
so soon to pass away. On the evening before the execu-
tion, M'Kenna remained with the condemned as long as
the regulations of the prison permitted. He then betook
himself to my father's house, where he proposed to stay
until the earliest hour of the morning at which he could
be admitted to the gaol. Having mentioned that he
would not fail to attend Lonergan to the consummation
of his fate, in compliance with the culprit's request, he
was informed by my father that he should also be at the
execution, for that owing to the paucity of regular troops
in Dublin, the sheriff had made a requisition for a guard
of the Volunteers, and that the grenadier company were
to attend at Baggot Street, (the Tyburn of Dublin,) to
which place the prisoner was to be escorted from Thomas
Street by a troop of cavalry.

Accordingly, on the 24th November, 1781, Lonergan,
having briefly but very distinctly denied any participation
in the crime for which he was condemned, was hanged by
the withdrawal of the cart from beneath the gallows to

Gleanings and Reminiscences.

which the halter was attached, and although he received
no drop, his sufferings did not seem to be very acute. He
almost immediately ceased to struggle, and life appeared
to be extinct. The weather was extremely inclement;
and when the body had been suspended for about twenty
minutes, the sheriff acceded to a suggestion that it might
be cut down. There was some difficulty in getting at the
rope so as to cut it with a knife. M'Kenna remarked this
to my father, who, drawing his short, slightly curved, and
very sharp hanger, directed the cart to be backed towards
the body. Then, springing up on the cart, he struck the
rope where it crossed the beam, and severed it at once. A
coffin was brought forward from a hearse which was in
waiting. The sheriff directed the cap to be removed, and
the body to be turned with the face down. Then he
handed a sharp penknife to the executioner, who made two
incisions across each other on the back of the neck. This
was considered a formal compliance with the portion of
the sentence which directed " quartering." The body was
then left to the care of the faithful friend, M'Kenna, who
directed it to be placed in the hearse and conveyed to his
house at Raheny. On the a6th, a funeral, very scantily
attended, proceeded to Raheny churchyard. M'Kenna
had the coffin lowered into a very deep grave, and the
burial service was read by the parochial clergyman. Persons
were engaged to watch for a few nights lest any attempt
should be made to exhume the corpse for anatomical pur-
poses. In two days after the funeral my father received a
note from M'Kenna, in consequence of which he imme-
diately proceeded to Raheny. On his arrival he was
pledged to secrecy and co-operation. He willingly assented,
and having been conducted into a small apartment in the
upper part of the house, he there beheld alive, although.

i

Old Prisons.

greatly debilitated, the man whom, at Baggot Street, he
had cut down from the gallows. On the night of the
30th November, he brought Lonergan into Skinner Row.
There he kept him concealed for upwards of a week, and
then succeeded in shipping him for Bristol. From thence
he proceeded, unsuspected and uninterrupted, to America,
where, under the name of James Fennell, he lived for a
considerable time, and supported himself by educational
pursuits. His resuscitation was attributed to the rope
having been unusually short, to his being swung from the
cart without receiving any perpendicular drop, and espe-
cially to the incisions in his neck, which produced a co-
pious effusion of blood. Lonergan stated that on being
suspended, he immediately lost any sensation of a painful
nature. His revival was attended with violent and dis-
tressing convulsions.

OLD PRISONS.

Before I proceed to the details of some other narratives,
I trust that my readers will not censure me for submitting
to their perusal incidents connected with real or imputed
crimes, and asking them to accompany me, even in imagi-
nation, to prison scenes. There is scarcely a novelist of
celebrity that has not frequently introduced his readers to
such places, and generally without exciting any repugnance
to his description of them, or to the narratives which they
supply or the subjects they suggest. Although the prison
may disappear and be replaced by other structures, even of
a different character, its ideal existence continues, and
perhaps outlasts those that arose on its foundations or in
its vicinity. In Paris, the Bastille is spoken of as if it
still existed. The name is inscribed on omnibusses, and
the cab-driver asks no further explanation when ordered to

Gleanings and Reminiscences.

drive " a la Bastille." A house within a short distance of
the place where it stood displays on a sign-board a view of
the old fortress-prison ; and few strangers pass it during
the day without pausing to gaze on the picture of a build-
ing to which history refers so many fearful incidents,
exaggerated nevertheless most enormously by the unscru-
pulous revolutionists who introduced a " reign of terror w
of greater extent, and more sanguinary atrocity, than the
records of all the state prisons of France could supply.
The Chateau of Vincennes is an existing building ; visited
more for the memories of the past than for the attractions
of the present or the hopes of the future ; and few visitors
leave it without gazing on the spot where, at midnight, the
hapless Due D'Enghien received the fatal volley and filled
an untimely grave. Many prisons in England are associated
with local traditions or historical events highly interest-
ing ; but the lapse of time and the habitudes of a people
exceptionally romantic have deprived them of an extensive
popular appreciation. The Tolbooth of Edinburgh and the
building of the same designation in Glasgow have derived
a lasting fame from the pen of Scott; and whilst the
English language exists, the readers of the " Heart of
Mid-Lothian" or "Rob Roy" will have the Tolbooths
vividly impressed on their imaginations. There are anec-
dotes connected with the old prisons of Ireland, many of
which would afford most ample subjects for the writer of
Romance, whilst even their simple details would fully
verify the adage that " Fact is stranger than Fiction." I
shall now proceed to a narrative which refers to a period
more than a century past, but,in which, as to names and
dates, the crown-office records of the time fully agree with
the statements which I have heard from the descendants
of some of the most respectable characters connected,

Old Prisons.

but in no discreditable manner, with the circumstances
detailed.

There may still be seen on the right hand side of th*
road leading from Dublin through Mount Brown to Inchi-
core, a small portion of a granite wall which formerly was
in front of " Old Kilmainham/' the common gaol of the
County of Dublin. That building was considered one of
the worst prisons of the kingdom, in consequence of its
insufficient size and lax discipline. Swift is said to have
been, in his youthful days, a frequent, although not a
criminal visitor at this old gaol ; and there, perhaps, in the
conversation of its inmates, he acquired much of the
coarseness and indelicacy which mar the wit and vigor of
his productions. I shall, however, most willingly and
scrupulously abstain from offering to my readers any speci-
mens of the language of such a time and place, when the
building echoed with drunken revelry, and the sufferings of
a prisoner were aggravated by indecent buffoonery or ribald
jests. To my narrative such expressions are neither
necessary nor ornamental.

CHAPTER II.

VESEY AND KEOGH.

On the 15th of February, 1743, a gentleman named James
Vesey, who held a commission in the army, was returning
to Dublin from a southern county where he possessed a
respectable landed property. The facilities which now
exist for the safe and prompt remittance of money were
then almost unknown, and he had with him upwards of
eighteen hundred pounds in specie. He was so unfor-
tunate as to be stopped on the road at Castleknock, and
robbed of the money, his watch, and its appendages. The
highwayman who opened the door of the post-chaise had
an associate who kept at the horses' heads, and could not
be recognized. After the perpetration of the crime, the
traveller proceeded on to Dublin and apprised the authori-
ties of his loss. A vigilant search terminated, after a few
days, in the apprehension of two brothers named Martin
and Sylvester Keogh. They were men of a sinister repu-
tation, who resided near Rathcoole, and spent more money
than they could be supposed to have acquired honestly,
being the occupiers of a thatched house of humble dimen-
sions, and a neglected farm of six or seven acres. On
being brought before a magistrate, Martin Keogh was
fully identified by Mr. Vesey, as the man who, pistol irk
hand, opened the door of the chaise and despoiled hiin

Vesey and Keogh.

of his property. Against the other there was no crimina-
ting evidence, and after a detention of some days, he was
discharged. The closest search after the money termi-
nated unsuccessfully, not a guinea could be found. Martin
Keogh was committed for trial at the ensuing commission
of Oyer et Terminer for the county of Dublin, and was
there convicted of the robbery, on the positive and un-
doubtedly true testimony of Mr. Vesey. Sentence of
death was passed, and the doomed felon became an occu-
pant of the condemned cell at Old Kilmainham, from the
dreary precincts of which he was to issue at the end of
twenty-one days, to die upon the gallows. Mr. Vesey's
leave of absence had been extended until the result of the
trial left him free to proceed to England to join his regi-
ment; and he departed from Dublin without any other
satisfaction for his eighteen hundred pounds than what
might be derived from the impending punishment of the
delinquent. He had ample opportunities for seeing
Martin Keogh during the preliminary proceedings and in
the progress of the trial, and the figure and features of the
highwayman remained indelibly impressed on his memory.
Soon after Mr. Vesey's arrival in England, he proceeded to
encounter the dangers and privations of protracted foreign
service ; he attained the rank of Captain, and his regiment
formed a portion of " the terrible English column" on the
memorable field of Fontenoy, the nth day of May, 1745.
It is unnecessary to introduce here any lengthened or
distinct description of the obstinate valor with which the
English advanced, thinned, but undismayed, by the concen-
trated fire of the French artillery, and unbroken by the re-
peated charges of veteran troops led by the most chivalrous
of a gallant nobility. They were not broken until assailed
by the Irish Brigade, who rushed upon them with irre-

io Gleanings and Reminiscences.

sistible fury. Then, penetrated and scattered, the column
became completely disorganized, and subjected to fearful
slaughter by the impetuous Irish and exulting French.
Captain Vesey remained on the field of battle. He had
been wounded, almost simultaneously, by two balls, and
also received a blow from the butt of a musket, which re-
duced him to a state of utter insensibility.

Louis XV. was present at Fontenoy, and in the hour of
victory displayed the only virtues which, in his character*
were associated with many great vices. He was generous
and humane, and at once directed that the wounded English
should receive the same care as was bestowed on his own
soldiers. Considerable numbers were conveyed to Lille,
where surgical skill and the soothing attentions of reli-
gious communities and kind-hearted inhabitants effected
numerous recoveries. Captain Vesey was soon conva-
lescent. During his illness, several officers of the Irish
Brigade forgot he was an enemy, but recollected that he was
their gallant and suffering countryman, and from them
he experienced the courtesy of gentlemen and the sym-
pathy of friends. Amongst them was the Count de
St. Woostan, an officer in the regiment of Berwick, who
was acting at Lille in a capacity similar to that of town-
major in an English garrison. One evening, at the
Count's quarters, the conversation turned on the various
incidents of the battle in which they had been so recently
engaged, and an officer remarked that Vesey owed his life,
in all probability, to a private in Berwick's regiment, who
procured assistance to convey him from the field whilst in
a state of insensibility, and manifested the utmost anxiety
for his preservation. This elicited a very natural remark
from Vesey, that it was extraordinary the man had never
since approached him, either to evince any satisfaction at

Vesey and Keogh. 1 1

his recovery, or to claim a recompense for his services.
On further enquiry, he ascertained that the soldier's name
was Martin Vaughan, and that he was in the garrison of
Lille. On the following day he proceeded, accompanied
by the Count, to seek out the man to whom his safety
was ascribed, and found that he had been sent, on escort
duty, a short distance from the town. The Count, there-
upon, left directions for Martin Vaughan to present him-
self at his quarters on a certain evening. The soldier
attended accordingly, and was ushered into the presence
of the Count and Captain Vesey, the latter of whom felt
inclined to distrust his own senses when he beheld Martin
Keogh, whom he believed to have been, for more than two
years, mouldering in a felon's grave. Suddenly, however,
the idea occurred that a recognition might be irreparably
injurious to the man who had recently rendered him such
material service. He felt at once that Keogh's escape
from the ignominious fate to which he had been doomed
was like an interposition of providence, highly beneficial
to both of them. He approached the man and briefly ex-
pressed his thanks for the care to which he ascribed his
safety. He then tendered him twenty louts d'or, but the
gift was at once respectfully declined. The soldier ap-
peared greatly agitated, and exclaimed — "No, Captain
Vesey, not a penny of your money will I ever touch
again."

The Count remarked the expression, and observed —
" Why, Vaughan, it would appear that you have met the
captain before you took service with us."

"We have met," said the soldier; "he knows when
and where; he will tell you what he knows, but he does
not know all. Ye are two gentlemen on whose honor I
can rely, and I shall tell you all on one condition.1

u

12 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

" Excuse me," said the Count, €S my curiosity is not so
intense as to make me desirous of a confidence disagree-
able either to Captain Vesey or to you. You have been a
good soldier, in every respect, since you entered the regi-
ment. I have known you only in that capacity. I have
no wish to be informed on any previous transaction."

" And I pledge my hand and word," said Vesey, " that
I shall never allude to you except as the man to whose
humane exertions I am indebted for my life."

He extended his hand to the soldier, who respectfully
pressed it between his own, saying — " Let it be so, I am
fully satisfied." He saluted the Count and departed.

In about two months after an exchange of prisoners
was effected. The Count and Vesey parted with mutual
regret and assurances of lasting friendship. A few minutes
before they parted, the Count mentioned that he had pro-
cured for Vaughan the grade of sergeant. Vaughan asked
and was granted an opportunity of bidding the Captain a
respectful farewell. The military operations of the Eng-
lish were for some time extensive and diversified ; and
during eleven years Vesey did not revisit Ireland. He
had been in India and in America ; and he again became
a prisoner to the French in 1756, when the Due de Richlieu
captured Minorca. There he again met with the Count de
St. Woostan. Their friendship was renewed, and Vesey,
who had attained to the rank of colonel, obtained permis-
sion, upon parole, to visit Paris, whither the Count was
proceeding with despatches. He casually enquired for
Vaughan, and was informed by the Count that soon after
their parting at Lille, Vaughan's brother, Sylvester, had
arrived from Ireland, and joined the regiment. He was
killed at the battle of Raucoux, where Martin was severely-
wounded, and had consequently become an inmate of the

Vesey and Keogh. 13

Hotel des Invalides. There Colonel Vesey again saw the
man, whose escape from an ignominious death had often
occasioned perplexing conjectures to his prosecutor. The
old sergeant evinced great pleasure at the Colonel's visit,
attended him through the establishment, and having con-
ducted him into one of the arbors, which the veterans of
the Invalides have, from the very commencement of the
institution, cultivated with peculiar care and taste, he
offered the Colonel a seat under an agreeable shade, and
requested him to listen to a -narration of the escape which
had been effected from Old Kilmainham. "I need not
now, sir," he added, " ask any condition from you, for the
man who arranged the affair is dead. No one can now
be injured by the disclosure. I have bitterly mourned the
disgraceful act that subjected me to capital punishment,
which I only escaped by flying for ever from my native
country, and which also led to the loss of my poor brother,
whom I persuaded to join in it and some other similar
deeds. God knows my heart.* I would willingly make
restitution of your property, but I shall never possess the
means. It was a great consolation that I was able to do
you a little service after Fontenoy, and I felt a certain
happiness in receiving your forgiveness when we parted at

Lille."

" My good friend/' said the Colonel, " as to the affair
at Castleknock, I would wish you never to mention it
again. I have, however, a great curiosity to know how
you managed to avoid the fate which, to say the truth, I
thought you had undergone."

a We took the money, sir," said Martin, " and placed
it in a strong canvas bag. We hid it in neither house,
garden, nor field, but in a deep part of the river Liffey,
below the Salmon Leap. There was a stout cord from

14 Gleanings and Reminiscenses.

the bag to a heavy weight, so that it might be easily
caught by a drag. Well, I was convicted and sentenced,
and there were four others condemned at the same Com-
mission, and we were all to be executed on the same day.
One was a forger, and three were housebreakers. We
each occupied a separate cell in the condemned yard. It
was a horrible place, for I well recollect that on each side
of the yard a full length figure of Death was painted,*
holding in his skeleton hands a scythe and hour-glass ; so
that wherever our eyes turned, we were reminded of our
hapless condition and coming sufferings. The gaoler
came in two or three times daily, whilst our cells were
open, and I soon remarked that he took very little notice
of the others, but spoke pretty often to me. On the fifth
or sixth day after my sentence, I was in my cell, counting
my days, and trying to count my hours ; making pictures
in my despairing mind of the cart and the crowd, and
cringing as if I already felt the slippery noose of the soaped
halter closing round the creeping flesh of my neck ; think-
ing of the happy days of innocent childhood, and feeling
some consolation in my misery that my brother had not
been condemned ; that I left no wife or family, and that
both my parents were dead, and spared th& shame and
sorrow of their son's public execution. This was the state
of my mind when the gaoler entered the cell. He closed
the door, and addressed some kind expressions to me,
hoping that I was resigned to the great change that was
impending, and enquiring if he could do anything for my
comfort or consolation. In a stout but low tone I replied,
that I would rather get rid of the business without being

* This gratuitous cruelty did not cease when Old Kilmainham was taken,
down. Similar disgusting figures have been seen by me, on the door and
walls of the condemned yard, in the present county gaol. — F. T. P.

Vesey and Keogh. 15

hanged at all. He closed the door, and sat down on the
block-stool, and we remained silent for a few minutes;
but there were looks passing between us ; we were reading
each other's hearts. At length he said — ' Have you the
money ? '

"'It is safe, every guinea of it/ I replied ( but useless
to me and to every one else, if 1 am to stay here for the
few remaining days of my life. Moreover, I could not
give it all, for there would be very little use in going out of
the prison if I had not the means of going far and going
fast; but I have fifteen hundred pounds for a friend, who
would be a real friend/

" € Mr. Vesey is gone/ said the gaoler, ' we are perfectly
secure from any observation or interference on his part ; I
am running a great risk, but I shall try the chance. I am,
I admit, in great want of money. Give me fifteen
hundred pounds, and I will allow your brother to pass
through my rooms to the top of the prison, and to bring a
rope ladder with him. He can descend into the yard, and
there he will find a key in the door of your cell ; this can be
done at twelve tomorrow night ; and you may be far away
before nine the following morning. Your brother will be
here to see you by-and-by, you can arrange with him, but
there is no time to be lost/

" ' My brother ' I replied, ' shall have nothing to do with
the business, except to bring the money, I shall not cross
the wall, I must go out by the door, I must be let out, or
I stay until I am disposed of along with the rest/
' It is impossible/ said the gaoler.
' It is not impossible,' I replied, f but very easy, if you
can get a little assistance. I must be sick, very sick ; fever,
gaol fever, is to be my complaint; I must die, and be sent
out in a coffin/

1 6 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

" f No/ said he, ' there must be a real corpse. I think
it can be managed, but I cannot have more than a thousand
pounds for myself, the remainder of the money must be
divided between two other persons, on whose co-operation
1 feel certain that I can fully rely.'

" We agreed upon the plan, and for several days I was
really sick, made so by artificial means — spirits, laudanum,
tobacco, and other things were used in various ways.
Half of the stipulated sum was brought by my brother,
and paid to the gaoler in the condemned cell. The other
men were removed to another part of the building. At
length I died, you understand ; and on that night a corpse
was introduced into my cell by the gaoler himself. It
was of my size, and was procured from the neighbouring
burial ground of the Hospital fields, vulgarly termed Bully's
Acre; but unlike the generality of such disinterments, it
was to go back there again, and to be buried in my name.
I was informed that there would be an inquest on me ; but
as I had died of putrid, spotted fever of the most infectious
description, it was not likely that the coroner or the jury
would view my body, unless at the greatest possible dis-
tance. I assisted the gaoler to arrange the supposed
corpse of myself, placing the face to the wall, and then I
was quietly let out upon the high road, after having paid
the balance of the fifteen hundred pounds. My brother
who had brought the money, was in waiting, but we soon
separated. He thought it would prevent suspicion being
raised if he attended the funeral of my substitute; and
I set out on foot, taking the road to Wicklow, and stop-,
ping in the morning to have a little rest and refreshment at
Loughlinstown. About the time of my funeral, I was
passing Coolagad, near Delgany, and was alarmed by a

Vesey and Keogh. 17

pack of hounds crossing the road close to where I was
walking. There were some riders following them whom I
knew, but they were too much engaged in the sport to
think about, or even to look at me. I proceeded by
Wicklow and Arklow to Wexford, and there I got a pas-
sage to Jersey. From that island I was taken by a
smuggler to St. Malo, on the supposition that I was
extremely anxious to join the Irish Brigade. My life was
now safe from the hangman, but I had much trouble and
suffering to encounter. I was suspected of being a spy,
although I could not speak a word of French; and the
possession of some of your guineas was a great crime in
the eyes of those who wished to get them for themselves.
At Chartres I met a fellow-countryman, who was in
Berwick's regiment, and at his instance I enlisted to get
rid of the annoyance I was suffering, and to avoid the
poverty which I saw approaching, and which was certain to
overtaJce a stranger, whose only resource was military
service. I took, on enlisting, the name of Vaughan,
which was that of my mother's family. I have again to
express my deep sorrow for the wrongful act I committed,
and J hope you will never regret that I was not hanged"

Colonel Vesey parted with Martin Keogh, alias Vaughan,
in the kindest manner, and was soon after enabled to pro-
ceed to England. His military career was terminated by
a wound at the capture of Quebec, in 1761, which incapa-
citated him for further service: he died at Bath in 1776.
The Count de St. Woostan accompanied the gallant but
much calumniated Lally-Tollendahl to India. He pos-
sessed his confidence, shared in his dangers and subsequent
persecutions, but eventually, freed from every imputation,
restored to the rank and emoluments of colonel, he died at

1 8 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

Amboise, in 1782. His name was Alen, and he belonged
to a family which, located at St. Woolstans near Celbridge,
in the county of Kildare, occupied high position in Ireland
previous to the reign of Elizabeth, and from a collateral
branch of which the ducal Howards of Norfolk derive the
additional name of Fitzalen.

Martin Vaughan married, in 1 758, a blanckisseuse dejin,
who had a comfortable dwelling and profitable business in
the Rue de Bellechasse, Paris. His name disappears from
the-register of the Invalides, in 1 769. His escape from Old
Kilmainham protracted his existence twenty-six years. It
was effected by means which would not be practicable in
any prison of the British Empire at the present time.
Officials have become more respectable, and their integrity
is protected from temptation by the intervention of a vigi-
lant superintending authority, unknown at the period to
which the foregoing narrative refers. It will, in all proba-
bility, occur to the reader that the two persons whose
co-operation the gaoler considered as indispensable in
effecting the escape of Martin Keogh, were the coroner of
the county and the medical officer of the prison. Such a
conclusion is almost inevitable. Still, a similar project
could not now be accomplished by a similar combination.
There have been, however, some inquests held in the same
county (Dublin) which seriously compromised the coroner
of the time and the medical man habitually employed by
him, but none of them originated in a prison. It is right
to state that they occurred anterior to the appointment of
the present coroners and of their respective immediate pre-
decessors. I shall recur to them in a subsequent page or
two, when I come to the narration of some extraordinary
incidents entirely within my personal knowledge and recol-

Vesey and Keogh. 19

lection. As yet I have placed no female character promi-
nently before my readers. I shall proceed to introduce
one; and however I may distrust my own powers of de-
scription, I feel that the mere facts which I shall detail
will not prove uninteresting, especially as they refer to her
whom I may term the heroine of the story.

CHAPTER III.

MARY TUDOR.

Longevity", although desired by almost all human beings,
is a subject of contemplation to very few. We attach, in
general, a greater interest to an aged tree or an antique
building, than to a venerable individual whose life may
connect with the present time the stirring period of the
American war of Independence or the awful period of the
French Revolution. It is, perhaps, better for ourselves
that as we attain old age we should meet with respect and
care, without being sought as close companions by our
juniors : we thus become habituated to think more on
those who have gone before us, and of our own approach
to that solemn moment which is to quench the socket-
glimmer of earthly existence. Nevertheless, we occasion-
ally meet with some whose mental faculties have not
yielded to the attacks of time, in proportion to the effects
produced by his inexorable hand upon the corporeal frame,
and whose society is sought by many who observe that
they can, even in the years of senectitude, revert to their
early days, and seek to enjoy the pleasures of memory by
detailing to others the scenes through which they have
passed, and the points of character they have noted. Such
a person I can truly designate my father to have been.
His frame was robust, and his general health very good,
even after he had attained to fourscore years. Accident

Mary Tudor. 21

had rendered him lame, but his mind and memory were
strong, and his disposition affable. Whilst he perfectly
recollected the past, he evinced a warm interest in the pre-
sent; and almost immediately after the opening of the
Great Southern and Western Railway of Ireland, he sped
from Dublin to Cork and back, merely to contrast the five
hours' performance of the "Iron Horse" with the four
days' journey of his early years. It was a great gratifica-
tion to him to take a slow drive through Dublin, and
recount to his companions, of whom I was generally one,
the former appearance of places, and the habits and pecu-
liarities of their occupiers ; but no part of the city called
forth his recollections more strongly than the locality of
Christ Church Place. He never mentioned it by its pre-
sent name; with him it continued "Skinner Row;" and
it was no small pleasure to him to remark that the house
in which he had lived and prospered at the beginning of
the present century, was still remaining, whilst the entire
of the opposite side of the " Row" had disappeared. He
regretted the change even whilst he admitted the advantage
of the alteration ; but he could not refrain from reinstating
in his imagination, and describing, the narrow-fronted
houses within eighteen feet of the opposite dwellings,
rising to a height which effectually precluded even half-an-
hour's sunshine from reaching the thoroughfare. His
mind reverted to the former tenants, jewellers, silversmiths,
and booksellers, by which trades the " Row" had been
monopolized ; and it was more agreeable to him to recol-
lect Dick Tudor, Tom Delancy, Jemmy Wilson, and many
others, cleaning their windows and sweeping their shops,
than to remark that such avocations, in the present day,
had ceased to be incumbent on even the junior apprentices,
and had devolved upon menial servants.

22 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

One evening he was enjoying the society of two or three
convivial friends. He had taken a drive that day, accom-
panied by me, and had halted so long in Christ Church
Place, that the hackney carmen might almost have sus-
pected that he meditated an invasion of their stand. He
enjoyed his drive and his dinner, and having attained to
his second glass of whisky-punch, he commenced, at the
instance of his companions, the narration of one of his
" Skinner Row " reminiscences.

Dick Tudor was a goldsmith and jeweller. He had the
reputation of being the wealthiest man in the locality.
He neither lent nor borrowed. His intercourse with his
neighbours was very limited. He was a widower, and
had an only child, of whom he was excessively fond. His
tastes were in his business ; he had a love for his art, and
would execute a beautiful design for a smaller comparative
profit than would satisfy him for second-hand plate or
mere repairs; but his affections excluded every other
worldly object, and were concentrated in his daughter,
Marv Tudor.

She was about eighteen years of age at the time to
which the commencement of the narrative refers, and.
although reared in a city, was as simple and unaffected ir
her manner as if her life had previously been passed or
mountain heather or in mossy dell. She was a brunette o
perfect features, and small but symmetrical figure. He
disposition appeared to be gay, and almost puerile, an<
none would suppose that in a trader's daughter, whos
jocund smile and sparkling eyes seemed to seek and sprea
mirth around her, there was a latent intensity of feeling
and a determination of character, worthy of the nobler
cause or of the highest lineage.

Skinner Row had its attachments, jealousies, and lift

Mary Tudor. 23

diplomacies as fully as ever they existed even in more im-
portant localities. In one respect, it possessed a 'material
for civic intrigue greater than could be found in any other
part of Dublin in the last century. The Row com-
manded, in the Common Council, one seat for the Sta-
tioners' Guild, and two for the Goldsmiths. As to those
objects of ambition, there was a certain fixed understand-
ing— there should be no division outside their own pre-
cincts, and the members chosen should be men of the Row.
Amongst themselves, intrigues, insinuations, or open
opposition might be freely practised ; but once they had
determined on the man to be supported, every vote should
go to him. Dick Tudor and James Wilson were the
goldsmiths chosen for the Common Council, and the dis-
tinction thus conferred excited great envy in the mind of
of Tom Delancy, whose discontent was kept fully alive by
his son, not on account of civic honours, but because
young Christian Wilson had contrived to stand between
him and the sun in the rays of which he wished to bask,
namely, the eyes of pretty Mary Tudor.

Old Tudor and James Wilson were friends, not very
intimate, but perhaps liking and respecting each other
more on that account. Tudor's daughter and Christian
Wilson were lovers, and the infrequency of their meetings
onlv rendered their occasional interviews more delectable.
The neighbours observed the attachment of the young
people before their parents suspected its existence; but
the moment Tudor perceived a preference evinced by his
daughter for young Wilson, he sedulously endeavoured to
prevent all future communications between them. He
became suddenly anxious that Mary should visit some
relatives in the County of Wexford, about whom he had
for years expressed no interest. He thought change of air

24 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

would materially serve her health, although no other eye «
could notice the slightest indication of illness, or even
delicacy of constitution. Accompanied by an elderly
female attendant, she left Dublin by a conveyance termed
Good's Long Coach, which the proprietor, William Good,
advertised as the perfection of cheap and expeditious
travelling. It left the Ram Inn, Aungier Street, Dublin,
on each Monday morning, at an early hour, so as to
ensure reaching Wicklow town on the succeeding night.
Tuesday saw the vehicle achieve a further progress to Gorey,
and on Wednesday evening it reached Wexford. It re-
turned to Dublin in the three succeeding days, and thus
enabled the public to have a cheap, safe, and comfortable
communication, to and fro, between two places about
ninety English miles asunder, within the short space of
six days.

Three or four weeks elapsed, and Tudor mentioned, in
answer to some kind enquiries, that Mary was enjoying
herself wonderfully at Kilmore, in the County of Wexford,
and that she had written him a very interesting descrip-
tion of the Saltee Islands, St. Patrick's Bridge, and the
Lady's Island. She was very comfortable with a worthy
cousin and his wife, both arrived at an age which made
them appreciate a life of quietude. They were very kind
to her, and they had no family or nearer relations than
himself and Mary. Her visit was likely to lead to con-
siderable advantages. He would never have disclosed his
daughter's temporary residence if he had not believed
Kilmore to be as difficult of access to Christian Wilson as
Madeira or Malta would be to a gallant of the presen
time. The lover was a youth of very peculiar character —
clever and active, but rash and inconsiderate. Having as
certained that the smacks which traded between Wexfor

Mary Tudor. 25

and Dublin, if favored by a fair wind, could make the
run in a few hours, he determined on seeing Mary Tudor.
His father had allowed him as a perquisite the profits
arising from making " balloon guineas" into rings, and
he had thereby acquired a few pounds, as it was a very
prevalent custom for females of the humbler classes to
invest a guinea in a ring, and carry their money on their
fingers. Savings-banks were then unknown.

Christian informed his father that he wished to go, for
a few days, to a friend in Drogheda, and obtained his con-
sent. He left home in the evening, ostensibly to go by
the mail, but he sojourned to Hoey*s Court, and was seen
there in company with some young men whose characters
were unknown, or worse. They left Hoey^s Court about
ten o'clock, and Wilson betook himself to Sir John's
Quay, and went out of the river in the smack " Selskar,"
of Wexford, on the night-tide. After midnight Dick
Tudor's workshop was robbed ; but the guilty parties did
not all escape. Two were apprehended leaving the pre-
mises, and were recognized as having been seen in Chris-
tian Wilson's company in Hoey's Court for some time
after his own father supposed him to have left Dublin for
Drogheda. A letter was posted to the latter place, and,
to old Wilson's astonishment, he received a reply that his
son had not gone there. Where was he ?

Whispered malice is most intense. Delancy and his
son added assertion to suspicion, and revelled in the idea
of a broken-hearted father, and a disgraced, degraded son,
being forced by the awkward circumstances, magnified
and industriously disseminated, to abandon, one, the
coveted representation of the Goldsmiths' Guild, and the
other, the pursuit in which all the affections of his heart
and the energies of his mind were concentrated — the love
of Mary Tudor.

26 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

In a few days Christian Wilson returned to Dublin.
His father's reproaches were fierce and unmeasured, and
became a perfect storm of rage when the young man
refused to state where he had been, or for what purpose
he had left home. Old Tudor aggravated the quarrel
between the father and son, by accusing them of a design
to entrap his daughter into a clandestine union, to which
James Wilson replied that he would sooner transport his
son than consent to his marriage with Tudor's daughter.
The circumstances of the robbery were fully investigated.
They did not directly inculpate Christian ; but enough
appeared to sully his reputation, and to prove that he
was not sufficiently guarded in his associations. Old
Delancy expressed his good-natured regret that the son of
one "Wainscot man"* should be strongly suspected of rob-
bing another. Young Delancy, with affected benevolence,
expressed his sincere gratification that Christian had not
been caught; and there were not wanting some kind-
hearted individuals to convey his observations to the un-
happy subject of them. The young men casually met
in Christ Church yard ; an explanation was demanded ;
and the demand was answered by the sneering remark,
that the affair explained itself. Christian was maddened
by his rivaPs taunts, and gave Delancy a fearful beating.
A blow or fall produced concussion of the brain. The
assailant had to fly ; and his father determined to send
him, banished and unforgiven, to the West Indies, con-
signing him to the care of a relative who had been for
several years in Barbadoes.

* In the old " Tholsel" or Guildhall of Dublin, members who had served
the office of Sheriff, or who represented the Guild of Merchants, occupied
the centre of the Council chamber. The members representing incorpo-
rated trades sat next the wainscot They had the reputation of being the
most independent members of the Corporation.

Mary Tudor. 27'

Mary Tudor received a letter written at Liverpool, and
announcing the immediate departure of Christian Wilson
for his tropical destination. In it he simply stated the
circumstances which led to his expatriation, and renewed
his vows to her of deep affection and fidelity. The young
woman at once determined on departing from Kilmore;
and on her arrival in Dublin placed Christian's letter in
her father's hands. She insisted on the examination of
the master and crew of the Selskar ; and they proved that
they dropped down the river with Christian on board,
two hours before the time of the robbery. But this was
not all. The guilty parties confessed that the young man
was not with them, and accounted for having sought his
society in Hoey's Court, for the purpose of eliciting some
information as to Tudor^s premises into which they were
desirous of effecting an entrance. Young Delancy had
recovered. Tudor and James Wilson had been reconciled;
but Christian had sailed in the ship " Hyacinth," of Liver-
pool, and he must see Barbadoes before he can become
aware of Mary's truth and her determined exertions to
remove all aspersions from her lover's character.

The " Hyacinth" never reached her destined port. Her
fate was conjectured, but was not ascertained, as it would
be in the present time of superior arrangements in agency
and communication. Her owners received their insurance
as for a total loss, and James Wilson believed that his
hapless son had been entombed in the ocean.

At the commencement of the war between England and
her revolted colonies of North America, two commis-
sioners were sent out, in the hope that differences might
be reconciled and peace restored. The Earl of Carlisle
and Mr. Eden, (afterwards Lord Auckland,) were pro-
ceeding on this mission in a frigate, and after having

28 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

encountered very stormy weather, they fell in with a boat
in which were several persons, reduced to the utmost
extremity by hunger and fatigue. They were rescued,
and recovered their strength by rest and nutrition. All,
except one, were sailors, and they were, perhaps very sum-
marily, added to the frigate's crew. The landsman was
of a melancholy temperament, although young and na-
turally strong. He was, however, of an humble and
unpresuming manner, which did not indicate vulgarity or
ignorance. He expressed a desire to make himself useful,
cleaned some watches for the officers, and kept the plate
of their mess in proper order. Curiosity induced Lord
Carlisle to accost him, and the communication resulted
in several acts of kindness on the part of the nobleman,
which were respectfully and gratefully, and perhaps it
may be said, gracefully, received. His Lordship's interest
in the poor shipwrecked fellow increased ; and on their
arrival in America, he obtained for his protege, from
Sir Henry Clinton, an ensigncy in the army.

Meanwhile Christian Wilson was forgotten in Skinner
Row by all except one. They had "mourned him dead
in his father's house" His family never adverted to his
fate, for the subject was of painful recollection in more
senses than one. But Mary Tudor, although she seldom
spoke of Christian, would not admit that he was dead.
Suitors for her hand were numerous, but to none would
she give the slightest encouragement, and Delancy soon
discovered that indifference was too mild a term to describe
her feeling towards him. Some years had passed. Her
father had attained complete senectitude, but was still
sound in mind and hale in body. He lived happily with
his daughter, who consulted his wishes on every subject,
except his anxiety to see her married in comfort and

Mary Tudor. 29

respectability before he died. She had attained to her
twenty- fifth or twenty-sixth year, and she was particularly
intimate with the family of the person from whom this
narrative is derived. In fact, it was her only intimacy,
and in her intercourse with them she frequently avowed
her conviction that the " lost one" would return.

One morning a note was received by my father, request-
ing him to call, as soon as possible, on the writer, at the
Queen's Head Hotel in Bride Street. He repaired to the
place appointed; and in consequence of what there oc-
curred, he had interviews next morning with Richard
Tudor and James Wilson, and prevailed on them to ac-
company him to Cork Hill, about u.30 a.m., and there
he pointed out to the astonished and delighted old men
Captain Christian Wilson, of the 60th Regiment, march-
ing his company to relieve the guard at Dublin Castle.

The tale concludes. The lovers met and were united.
Old Tudor was rich ; his closing years were happy. Wilson
retired from the army after he had attained the rank of
Major, and settled on a property in a southern county,
where the descendants of him and Mary Tudor are living
in independence and respectability.

This narrative has been closely criticised. It has been
asked, Did the hero of the tale keep his very existence con-
cealed so long, and why ? Suspicions have been expressed
that the lovers had some communication or correspon-
dence. Whatever conjectures may be entertained, they
need not be canvassed here. The reader may form his
own opinion. Much was said on the subject, and some-
thing was even sung. The following verses are a portion
of a lyric attributed to a Mr. Rooney, a basket-maker in
Fishamble Street. The Tholsel guard, to the somnolent
tendencies of which an allusion is made, were in num-

30 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

ber about a dozen. They were dressed in blue with
orange facings, and armed with pole-axes. An alderman
of the time sarcastically described them as "selected for
their age and infirmities, and not required to be awake
unless at their meals."

" Some folk averr'd a bird was heard
To Mary's casement nigh ;
And from its throat there thrill'd the note,
He 's coming by-and-by.

" Some said there came, with war-worn frame,
A vet'ran grenadier, »

Who spoke of one that led him on
Through battle's fierce career.

" Some said between them both had been
Of love notes not a few,
But this was clear, he did appear,
And wed his maiden true.

tt

Through Skinner Row the toast must go,
And our cheers reach Christ Church Yard,

Till its vaults profound send back the sound,
To waken the Tholsel guard.

" Here *s to their health in peace and wealth ;
May Death, that bold intruder,
A long while pause ere he lays his claws
On such as Mary Tudor."

CHAPTER IV.

THE BIRTH OF A WORD — A LETTER OF INTRODUC-
TION THE HONOR OF KNIGHTHOOD.

I have mentioned in the narrative respecting Lonergan,
that my father was a member of the corps of Dublin
Volunteers, and that he was Serjeant of the grenadier
company. Many of his comrades were living within my
memory, and I could name five or six who derived great
gratification from reverting to the period when the citizen
soldiers of Ireland were enrolled in thousands for the
purpose of resisting an invasion which was threatened by
the French. The reviews, parades, and convivial associa-
tions of the Volunteers afforded many agreeable recollec-
tions ; and I have heard from different narrators the same
account of what may be termed the birth of a word which
originated in Eustace Street, Dublin, upon the same day
that ushered into this breathing world the oldest and
highest of rank amongst the Irish nobility * I indulge in
a hope that my readers may consider the circumstances
under which a word was added to our language as curious
or interesting, especially when they are apprised that it
was not taken from any other language, ancient or modern,
and yet it has become ubiquitous.

* These expressions refer to the late Duke of Leinster, who has died
since I wrote them. — F. T. P.

32 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

On the 2ist of August, 1791, news had arrived in
Dublin that Her Grace the Duchess of Leinster had given
birth to a young Marquis of Kildare. To all ranks of
society the intelligence was welcome, but especially to the
Volunteers. The Duke was the general of that force in
his province, but his own corps, of which he was colonel,
was the Dublin one. Along with the announcement of
the accouchement of the Duchess, came an intimation,
that the corps would be expected at Carton on the happy
occasion of the christening. The opportunity for paying
a compliment to their commander was hailed by the
citizen-soldiers with the utmost enthusiasm, and there
was a numerous gathering of them, to learn the particu-
lars and to consider their arrangements, at a tavern in
Eustace Street, Dublin, kept by a person named Bennett,
and known as " The Eagle." The evening had, as might
be expected, a convivial termination. Several who had
attained to high civic dignities were amongst those as-
sembled ; and there was also present Richard Daly, the
proprietor and manager of the Smock Alley theatre, who
had an extraordinary propensity for making wagers in refer-
ence to incidental matters, however unimportant. In the
course of the evening some casual opinions were expressed
on the histrionic powers of an actor named Spark es, who
was then drawing immense houses in Daly's theatre. One
of the Volunteers, named Delahoyde, expressed his surprise
that such crowds should run after Sparkes, and remarked
that his popularity was more the result of fashionable
caprice than of histrionic merits. " He is, in my opinion/*
added the speaker, "just what the French would term tm
fagotin" "And what is the exact meaning of that:
word ?" asked Alderman Moncrieffe. " There is, perhaps,
no one word in the English language which conveys its

The Birth of a Word. 33

meaning exactly/' said the interrogated party. "If I
could give an English word to signify a low, vulgar
mountebank, I should not have employed the French
term." " Then/' observed Daly, " why do you not make
a word and send it into circulation ? You should not feel
aware that our language was deficient in expression with-
out being charitable enough to supply its want, especially
as it costs nothing to make a word." "But," rejoined
the other, " how could I ensure the reception of a word
into general use ? It might be characterized as slang, or
remain unnoticed and unadopted ; it might be as difficult to
obtain currency for a word, or more so, than it was to
pass Wood's halfpence."

" Dick," said Alderman Moncriefle, " suppose you try
your own hand, as you think the matter so easy. I would
leave it to your own ingenuity, but I fear you will find it
very difficult to induce the public to take your word. If
they took some of your assurance it might be an advan-
tage; you have plenty to spare/'

" I thank you, Alderman," replied Daly. " I did not
suppose that so much wit could come from the neighbour-
hood of the Tholsel."

"Oh!" said Moncriefle, "it has strayed up to us from
the theatre, where it has lately become scarce. But, Dick,
why have you chatted so long on this and other subjects
this evening without offering a single wager ? Come now,
start a bet/'

" I shall not use a phrase or make a word/' said Daly,
" in disparagement of Sparkes, from whom I have derived
much pleasure and profit; but I shall bet you twenty
guineas, and I propose our friend and captain, who is also
your brother alderman, I propose John Carleton as the judge
or arbitrator between us, that within forty-eight hours

D

34 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

there shall be a word in the mouths of the Dublin public,
of all classes and sexes, young and old ; and also that
within a week, the same public shall attach a definite and
generally adopted meaning to that word, without any sug-
gestion or explanation from me. I also undertake, as
essential to the wager, that my word shall be altogether
new and unconnected with any derivation from another
language, ancient or modern. Now, Alderman, what say
you to taking my word or winning my money ?"

" I shall not take your word, Dick, but I propose win-
ning some of your money. I shall put five guineas in the
wager, provided the present company take up the balance,
and let the winnings be spent on the evening of the first
parade day after our return from the christening of the
young Marquis of Kildare."

The company were joyous, and the proposal of the
appropriation of the proceeds to festivity induced a speedy
acceptance of the remaining liability. The terms were re-
duced to writing, and deposited with Carleton. Daly
looked at his watch and took his departure. It happened
to be a Saturday evening, and he reached the theatre a
short time before the termination of the performance. He
immediately procured some lumps of chalk, and a dozen
or two of cards. Upon each of the cards he wrote a word.
It was short and distinct, and at the fall of the curtain he
required the attendance of the call-boys, scene-shifters,
and other inferior employees of the concern. To each of
them he gave a card and a piece of chalk, and directed
them to perambulate the city until daybreak, chalking the
word upon the doors and shutters of the houses. His
directions were diligently obeyed, and on the Sunday
morning the doors of shops, warehouses, and even private
dwellings appeared to have one word conspicuously chalked

The Birth of a Word. 35

cm them. The timid were alarmed, lest it indicated some
unlawful or hostile intention, but these apprehensions
were dissipated by the fact of its universal appearance.
One, as he issued from his dwelling, conceived that it was
meant for a nick -name for him; but he immediately
changed his opinion on seeing it on his neighbour's
premises also. It could not be political, for all parties
were treated the same way. It was manifestly not a mark
on any religious persuasion, for all denominations were
chalked alike. It was not belonging to any known lan-
guage, nor could a word of any meaning be formed by the
transposition of its letters. Still the universality of its
appearance excited the curiosity of all, and formed a sub-
ject for public conjecture and general conversation. After
a few days the general conclusion was, that the word was
a hoax, a trick, a humbug, a joke. However, it was not for-
gotten. The parties to the wager, which Dick Daly was ad-
judged to have won, have all disappeared, but I have heard
several of them narrate the particulars as I have stated them.
The hands by which the word was chalked have all
mouldered into clay, but the term that owed its birth to
the Eustace Street wager has become almost ubiquitous.
It is heard in India, Australia, the United States,
Canada, or the Cape; in fact, wherever the English lan-
guage is Spoken. The word is Quiz.

It may not be inopportune to mention here that I re-
lated the foregoing account of the origin of the word
"quiz" one day in, I think, the year 1832, at the table of
Cornelius Lyne, the facetious and convivial barrister of
the Munster Circuit, where he was designated, in contra-
distinction to the old Irish chieftain, " Con of the hundred
battles" " Con of the hundred bottles" Amongst the
guests was a gentleman named Montgomery, who resided

36 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

in Belfast On hearing my story, he remarked that a
quiz has occasionally produced a reality. He proceeded
to tell us that when James Madison was President of the
United States, a young man connected with one of the
most eminent houses in Belfast, thought fit to make an
American tour. Having crossed the Atlantic, he passed
upwards of eighteen months to his perfect satisfaction. On
his return he was greatly pestered by one of his fellow-
townsmen, a pushing, plausible, self-sufficient kind of
fellow, for letters of introduction to some American
friends, the applicant declaring his intention of visiting all
the principal cities of the Union. At length the solicited
party replied to an urgent entreaty, by declaring that there
was no one with whom he felt himself warranted to take
such a liberty except his friend Madison. "The Presi-
dent!" exclaimed the importunate teaser ; "why it would
be invaluable." Acceding to his request, a letter was
written commencing with " My dear Mr. Madison," and
conveying the assurance, that the attentions which the
writer had received would never be forgotten, and that the
recollection of such kindness emboldened him to introduce
a friend, in the hope that he would be received with even
a portion of that urbanity which had been experienced so
agreeably, and remembered so gratefully, by his ever
faithful and obliged, &c, ice. The traveller departed, and
a considerable time elapsed before he reappeared in Belfast.
When he returned, his first visit was to the author of the
valuable introduction. " My dear friend," said he, <f I
presented your letter at a public reception. The President
waa more than polite, he was extremely cordial. I was
invited to several delightful parties, and received the utmosi
attention. It was, however, very extraordinary, that wher
I called to pay my farewell visit, he asked me several ques

The Honor of Knighthood. -yj

tions in reference to your personal appearance, remarking
that you had lapsed from his recollection." This was not
so very surprising, for the President had never seen the
man whose letter of introduction for the other had been a
thorough quiz. At the conclusion of the anecdote which
my narrative had elicited from Mr. Montgomery, Tom
Moylan, Mr. Lyne's nephew, contributed another. He
remarked that the Belfast man had only quizzed a Presi-
dent, but a Dublin man had completely humbugged a
king. When George the Fourth was reigning, a Dublin
medical doctor wrote a book. He had a copy splendidly
bound for presentation, and then went to London, to the
royal levee, where he handed a card to the lord-in-waiting,
on which his name appeared as attending to present his
work on a certain professional subject, and to receive the
honor of knighthood. The lord-in-waiting thought that all
was right ; the king thought so, too. The Dublin doctor
knelt down, the king took a sword, gave him the slap of

dignity, and bade him arise Sir Thomas . After the

levee, and when the newspapers had published the knight-
hood as one of the incidents of the day, there were some
enquiries about the recipient of the distinction. Who had
recommended him ? Of what minister was he the pro-
tege ? But they were all too late, the knighthood had
been conferred. People could only laugh. Canning was
reported to have said, that he supposed the doctor claimed
the honor by prescription. Although I was not personally
acquainted with the medical knight who was the subject
of Tom Moylan' s anecdote, I have a perfect recollection
of him for several years before he was dubbed a " Sir."
He resided in St. Peter's parish, Dublin, and was very
prominent in the old agitation times antecedent to Catholic
Emancipation. At the vestries there could not be a rate

38 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

_^ — — — — — — — ,— _ ^^^^__^^__^___^_

or cess proposed to which he had not an amendment or
direct negative to offer. On one occasion, at a very
crowded parochial meeting, he complained to Archdeacon
Torrens, who was presiding, that the vestry-room was too
limited a place for such an important discussion as that in
which they were engaged. " I move, reverend sir," said
he, "that we adjourn to the churchyard" "My dear
doctor, replied the archdeacon, very quaintly, "you will
have us there time enough/'

CHAPTER V.

A MILLIONAIRE.

I shall revert to old Skinner Row in reference to the
career of an individual which may be said to have com-
menced there about the year 178a. The incidents which
I shall detail are not of an amatory or very sentimental
nature, but nevertheless, truly extraordinary. To a Dublin,
or even an Irish reader, it is unnecessary to offer an assu-
rance of their truth, or to mention the individual's name.
Only one error in reference to him has had currency, and
that to a very limited extent. It arose, in all probability,
from envy or malice, and consisted in describing him as a
person of very imperfect education, of plebeian manners
and disposition, and of almost menial avocations. He
might have been truly described as well-informed, unaf-
fectedly courteous, unobtrusive of his own opinions, and
tolerant of the opinions of others, whilst his business
transactions were marked by diligence, integrity, and in-
telligence. The proprietor of a very extensive establish-
ment in a central situation in Dublin, where bookselling
and auctions of libraries were carried on, had advertised
for an assistant; and the situation attracted the attention
of many competitors, of whom the individual alluded to
was one. He was young and active, and sought a per-
sonal interview with Mr. V. the advertiser. He was

40 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

informed that the latter had gone up to Skinner Row, to my
father's house, where he would be engaged for upwards of
an hour. The applicant hurried off to the narrow, crowded,
and inconvenient locality. The footway was dispropor-
tionally raised above the carriage road, and at the very door
of the house to which he was going, he accidentally slipped
and fell. In a disabled condition, he was raised and car-
ried in, and it was ascertained that his ankle was dislocated.
His sufferings excited great sympathy. He was conveyed
to a bedroom, and surgical aid was procured. Mr. V.
manifested great interest in the young man, and came
frequently to see him. After several weeks elapsed his
cure was effected, and the situation which he sought was
given to him. He expressed the deepest gratitude to my
father for the kindness he had experienced, and the ac-
quaintance which commented in the painful accident re-
ferred to, ripened ultimately into a very close intimacy.
He gained the confidence of Mr. V., who conferred many
marks of his esteem, and on the retirement of that gentle-
man from business, he became, to a great extent, his
successor. All his undertakings prospered, and he acquired
the reputation of being extremely wealthy. A rumor
was circulated that, between the leaves of some books
which he had purchased, he had found several bank notes
of considerable value, but that report was groundless. In
addition to extensive bookselling, he had formed a connec-
tion with the house of Bish and Co., of Cornhill, by which
he was enabled to do a profitable business in bills on
London amongst the Dublin traders, for at that time the
facilities of letters of credit were very little known. He
also dealt largely in the tickets and shares of the State
Lotteries which, three or four times in the year, stimulated
the community into legalized gambling. One evening in

A Millionaire. 41

the year 1794, my father had occasion to call upon him,
and found him unusually dissatisfied. He said that Bish's
people had made a great mistake in sending him several
whole tickets instead of quarters, eighths, or sixteenths,
and that three tickets had been left on his hands, involving
a loss of sixty pounds. There was not sufficient time
to communicate with London before the drawing day, and
he could only warn them against committing a similar
error on the next occasion. However, in about a week
after, my father ascertained that the mistake had eventuated
in one of the tickets turning out a prize for twenty thou-
sand pounds. Bish was no longer censured by the man
whose wealth, previously considerable, had received a great
and unexpected augmentation. The writer of fiction would
hesitate before he would adopt a young man lying on the
flagway of a city in which he was a complete stranger,
with a dislocated ankle, as the material for a future million-
aire. The person to whom this narrative refers was not
English, Irish, or Scotch. He was a Manxman, who left
his native island to seek in Dublin, what he most com-
pletely found, a fortune. He died a member of Parliament
for an Irish county. Three of his sons attained to similar
positions, and one of them was elevated to the House of
Peers. Their positions were honorably and worthily
acquired.

CHAPTER VI.

THE SHIP STREET DIAMOND — SECOND-HAND PLATE
— THE SILVER SLAB — LAWfS WINDOW — OLD
NEWGATE,

I have already mentioned that old Skinner Row con-
tained a considerable number of establishments belonging
to goldsmiths and jewellers. Pre-eminent amongst them
was one kept, in the earty part of the present century, by
Matthew West, who realised an ample fortune there, and
attained to high civic distinctions in Dublin. His concern
was celebrated for an extensive assortment of jewelry, and
for the tasteful and correct execution of orders specially
relative to the setting of precious stones. When such
were brought to be cleaned, arranged, or set, the owner
was required to state the value which he attached to the
property, and to sign such statement on the back of the
receipt given for the articles. Mr. West gave considerable
employment, especially in gem-setting, to a man named
Delandre, who occupied the upper part of a house in
Great Ship Street, in front of the ground on which the
church of St. Michael le Pole formerly stood, and over
the yard of which the windows of his working-room
opened. A narrow passage led from the street under the
house to a building in the rere, and a high wall separated
this passage from the old cemetery. The top of the wall

The Ship Street Diamond. 43

was thickly studded with broken glass, to prevent tres-
passes. In the year 1 811, a gentleman called on Mr.
West, and produced a diamond to which he attached con-
siderable value, and which he wished to have set in a
peculiar style. His order was taken, and a receipt was
given for the stone, with an endorsement of its value at
£%o. Delandre was sent for, and received the diamond,
with directions for the setting, and with an injunction to
be expeditious. He took it to his work-room, and, the
weather being very warm, the window close to his bench
had been opened. He was using heavy pressure of the
diamond against the material in which it was to be set,
when either the tool or the gem slipped, and the latter
flew out of the opened window. Instantly alarming his
family, he watched the passage and the yard until means
were* adopted to prevent the entrance of any strangers.
Then the passage was swept, and the sweepings were
sifted. The surface of the old cemetery, for a considerable
space, was similarly treated, the top of the wall was
brushed carefully, and a tombstone in which a fissure was
observed was raised and examined ; but all the searching
was fruitless. Finally, Delandre had to betake himself to
Mr. West, and communicate the disastrous loss of the
valuable jewel. Extraordinary as was the statement, Mr.
West did not discredit the workman, in whose probity he
placed great confidence. He undertook to afford constant
employment to Delandre and to his son, but stipulated that
an insurance should be effected on the life of the former,
aud that weekly deductions should be made from their
earnings, so as to provide for the premium on the insu-
rance policy and form a reserve for the value of the
diamond. Delandre scrupulously observed his engage-
ments. He had full employment from West, and although

44 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

he was working, as he termed it, "for a dead horse/' he
kept his hands busy and his heart light. Each year les-
sened his liabilities, and at length, having paid for the
diamond, he received an assignment of the policy of insu-
rance, for the ultimate benefit of his family. He had
grown old and rather feeble, but still, in conjunction with
his son, attended industriously to his trade. Mr. West
had died, and I, who had been a schoolboy when the
diamond was lost, had become a magistrate of the Head
Police Court of Dublin. In my younger days I had
often heard of the Ship Street diamond, and the various
accounts of its loss were occasionally exaggerated im-
mensely in reference to its size and value. In 184a
some much needed repairs were in progress at the rere of
Delandre's dwelling. Whitewashing and plastering were
intended, and the top of the wall between the yard and
passage was to be re-glassed. Old Delandre had gone
out to buy some provisions, and on his return he was
accosted by one of the workmen who had been removing
the glass from the wall, and who showed him a curosity
which he had found. Delandre did not require a second
look to satisfy himself that it was the long-lost gem.
Amongst the glass which had been on the wall there was
the neck of a pint bottle, which had been placed in the
plaster with the mouth downwards, and it had formed the
trap in which the diamond had been caught on falling
from the window. Delandre gave the finder a liberal
reward ; but with a laudable anxiety to remove all suspi-
cion of a sinister nature from himself, he had the dis-
covery of the diamond made the subject of a solemn,
declaration, which the finder subscribed before me in tlxe
Head Police Court. The loss of the gem had been even-
tually highly advantageous to the man, by whom it

Second-hand Plate. 45

at first very naturally considered a great calamity. It bad
induced him to adopt a life of strict economy and industry,
which easier circumstances would not have suggested or
enforced.

SECOND-HAND PLATE.

The same Mr. West to whom the last incident referred
had a handsome private residence in Harcourt Street, and
he was known habitually to place an unlimited confidence
in the care and discretion of his wife, to leave large sums
in her custody, and to approve of or acquiesce in the
investments to which she might apply such moneys.
Her management fully justified his confidence, and he
made no secret of the course he had adopted or of
the satisfactory results it produced. In 181 7 he had
arrived one morning in Skinner Row, when a livery ser-
vant, of very stylish appearance, entered and inquired,
"Had Captain Wilson been there?" Mr. West replied
that " he had not the pleasure of knowing Captain
Wilson ;" and then the servant stated, that " his master,
Captain Marmaduke Wilson, intended to purchase some
plate, and had ordered him to go to Mr. West's, and
await his arrival there." He added, " He is a fine-looking
man, but he has lost his right arm at Waterloo. I have
to deliver a message in Dame Street. You will easily
know him when he comes ; and please to tell him that I
shall be back in about ten minutes." The servant de-
parted, and very soon after his master made his appear-
ance. A complete militaire, he displayed moustaches, a
Waterloo ribbon, and a frogged frock-coat; but the right
sleeve was empty from the elbow, and the cuff was looped
up to the breast He inquired for the servant, and seemed
a little dissatisfied at the fellow's absence. He then

46 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

- proceeded to inform Mr. West that he was about to fix his
residence on a property which he held in the county of
Monaghan, and that he wished to unite economy with
respectability in his domestic arrangements. He had
heard that Mr. West's stock of second-hand plate was
very ample, and wished to purchase some on which the
crestings could be obliterated and the Wilson crest sub-
stituted, producing at the same time a silver snuff-box, on
which a crest was engraved, with the initials of Marmaduke
Wilson beneath it. The servant had returned, and accom-
panied his master through the warerooms, conducted by
the proprietor, who succeeded in displaying tea services,
salvers, 8cc, which met with Captain Wilson's approval,
provided the prices were lower. The demands were re-
duced considerably, as the customer urged that it was a
dealing for " cash down." The charges amounted to one
hundred and forty pounds, when the Captain said " he
would not go any further for the present," and requested
Mr. West to have the plate packed in a basket which the
servant had brought, in order that Mrs. Wilson might see
the articles before the crests were altered. The silver was
directed to be treated as he desired, and he then turned to
Mr. West and said, " You must be my amanuensis, and
write the order to Mrs. Wilson for the cash. I shall
send my man for the money, and when he brings it, you
will let him have the basket/' Mr. West took the pea,
and wrote, at the Captain's dictation —

"Dear Maria,

" I have bought some second-hand plate, of which, I think, yon.
will approve. Send me, by bearer, £140"

He added — "Just put my initials, M. W. Is it not
very curious, Mr. West, that our initials are the same ? ' J

Second-hand Plate. 47

He then took the pen in his left hand, and made a rough
kind of small semicircle in the left-hand corner, which he
designated his private mark. " Now/' said he to the ser-
vant, "make all haste to your mistress, get the money,
and fetch it here. I shall wait until you return, for you
have not far to go/' The servant departed, and the Cap-
tain remained for about twenty minutes, and seemed very
impatient at the fellow's delay. He expressed an opinion
that perhaps his wife had gone out, and said that he would
take a car and see what caused the delay, adding, " When
he brings you the cash you can let him have the hamper/9
The Captain then departed. The servant did not come
for the plate, and it remained packed and ready for de-
livery on the arrival of the purchase money. Late in the
afternoon Mr. West went home, and having dined, was
asked by his wife " What second-hand plate was it that
you bought to-day?" " I bought none/' he replied, " but I
sold some, and it was to have been taken away at once,
but I suppose it will be sent for to-morrow." " And why/'
enquired Mrs. West, " did you send to me for one hundred
and forty pounds ? Here is your note, which a servant in
livery brought, and I gave him the money."

The swindle was complete. The basket was never called
for, nor could the defrauded party ever obtain any trace of
the Waterloo Captain or of his livery servant. The
reader need not suppose that the veteran delinquent was
minus an arm. He was " made up " for the part which
he was to play in the deliberate and deeply-planned villainy,
and in all probability he had both his hands in full use, to
take off his moustache and frogged coat in a few minutes
after leaving Mr. West's premises. The transaction ex-
cited much interest and some merriment. It afforded a
subject for one of Burke Bethel's jokes. He said that

48 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

whether the captain reappeared or not, he could never be
designated otherwise than as off-handed in his dealings
with Mr. West.

THE SILVER SLAB.

There was another Dublin establishment in the gold,
silver, and jewelry trade, and also belonging to a Mr.
West. It was in Capel Street. I may mention an inci-
dent connected with it of a very extraordinary nature.
There were mills at Chapelizod, near Dublin, kept by a
Mr. M'Garry, in which he had very powerful machinery for
rolling metals. He was frequently employed to roll silver
for Mr. West In the year 1829, a silver slab, valued at
^27, was delivered to his carrier at Capel Street, and the
usual receipt was given for it. The slab was to be rolled
into a silver sheet; but when the vehicle in which it had
been placed arrived at Chapelizod, the article was not to
be found. In appearance it was not bright, having lain in
store for some time after being cast. Advertisements and
enquiries failed to discover it, and Mr. M' Garry paid its
value to the owner. In 1845, it was brought to a silver-
smith named Chapman, on .Essex Quay, and offered for
sale. Chapman stopped the article, and gave the bearer
of it into custody. On an investigation before me, it ap-
peared that a shoemaker who lived in Leixlip had found it
on the road and taken it home with him* He never
suspected that it was silver. He considered it to be pewter
or zinc, and it was used for the purposes of a lapstone for
sixteen years. How the person in whose possession it.
was found had ascertained its real quality did not appear,
but he had purchased it from the shoemaker for half-a-
crown. West's and M'Garry's books coincided as to the
nature of the article, its value, and the time of its loss.

Law's Window. 49

The old slab was adjudged to M'Garry, who at once sold
it to Chapman for the price he offered, £%%* The shoe-
maker expressed deep, and certainly sincere, regret that he
had never suspected the real value of his lapstone. His only
consolation was, that the roguish fellow who induced him
to sell it for half-a-crown, lost two shillings and sixpence
by the bargain.

law's window.

Whilst shops profusely stocked with articles of the pre-
cious metals and with costly jewels attract affluent and
even extravagant customers, they also afford immense
temptations to thieves and swindlers. No establishment
in Dublin was superior in any respect to that in Sackville
Street belonging to Mr. Law. On each side of the en-
trance there was a window, consisting of a single sheet
of glass, inside of which a most magnificent display of
costly plate, gems, and watches tacitly demanded and
obtained the admiration of all spectators. In the year
1847, anc* *n *he afternoon of a pleasant May day, an
elderly gentleman stood at the window next the corner of
Eden Quay, and gazed with delight on the various splendid
and tasteful productions inside. He had an umbrella,
which he carried beneath his arm in a horizontal position,
and with the ferule end unluckily too near the costly sheet
of glass. A young fellow came rapidly running along the
footway, and violently jostled the respectable admirer of
the splendid contents of the window. The glass was
smashed by the point of the umbrella, and the mischief
resulting from the collision only imparted greater celerity
to the jostler's movements. He fled down Eden Quay,
and was almost instantly out of sight. Mr. Law was in
his shop, and along with some of his assistants seized on

£

50 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

the proprietor of the intruding umbrella. The old gentle-
man demurred to the imputed liability, and ascribed all the
mischief to the ruffian who had rushed against him. Law
was persistent, and demanded nine pounds for his frac*.
tured glass. He threatened to give the old gentleman in
charge to the police. The latter became very indignant and
excited, used extremely strong language, and even applied
opprobrious epithets to those by whom he was detained.
He said that he was a stranger, just arrived from England,
to transact some affairs of importance connected with the
purchase of extensive properties in the west of Ireland.
He warned Law that he would bring an action, and look
for ample damages, if he were not permitted to depart.
He stated his name to be James Ridley, and that his resi-
dence was in Lincoln's Inn Fields, London. Finding that
Law was about ,to send for a constable, he produced a
Bank of England note for ^100, and told the " obdurate
scoundrel " to take the cost of his window out of that, but
at his peril. Law disregarded the threat, deducted nine
pounds, and gave ^91 to Mr. Ridley, who departed, vow-
ing vengeance. However, no proceedings were instituted,
and subsequent enquiries after James Ridley in Lincoln's
Inn Fields resulted in no such person being known there.
The i^ioo note was a forgery.

* OLD NEWGATE.

Towards the close of the last century, a gaol for the city
of Dublin was built, and its appearance had a great ten-
dency to deter any person from incurring the liability of
becoming an inmate. Its soot begrimed-walls and rusty
portal completely falsified its designation of Newgate, and
its front constituted a considerable portion of a locality,
the aspect of which suggested no idea of verdure, although

Old Newgate. 5 1

it was called Green Street. It was a place replete with
fatal memories, very few of which are worthy of being
evoked, and it has been completely taken down. The sons
of the gentleman who was governor more than fifty years
ago were my schoolmates, and my associations with them
made me acquainted with some incidents which may be
worthy of narration. When Oliver Bond was under sen-
tence of death for treason; and whilst there was the
strongest probability that the law would take its course, he
was permitted, during the day-time, to occupy an upper
apartment, the door of which was partly of glass. Mrs.
Bond was as much with him as the rules of the prison
allowed, and was sitting in the room on the day when Mr.
Michael William Byrne was executed as a united Irishman.
The fatal procession had to pass close by the door of
Bond's apartment; and as it approached, Mr. Byrne re-
marked to the sheriff, that Mrs. Bond would be greatly
shocked by seeing a person pass to that scaffold on which
her husband expected to suffer. Mr. Byrne then suggested
that they should stoop and creep noiselessly by the door, so
as to escape her observation.. His wish was complied
with, and on reaching the drop, he turned to the sheriff,
and remarked, with an air of great satisfaction, "we
managed that extremely well." This spontaneous solici-
tude to spare the feelings of an afflicted female, will aptly
class with that of the gallant Count Dillon, who was one
of the earliest victims of the Reign of Terror in France, and
who, when he arrived at the guillotine, was requested by a
female fellow-sufferer, to precede her, upon which the
preux chevalier saluted her with courtly grace, and stepped
forward, saying, "anything to obhge a lady."

In one of the back yards of Newgate, to the right of the
entrance, was the place of confinement for the condemned,

52 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

the walls of which exhibited initials, sometimes entire
names of unhappy occupants. One, who suffered the
extreme penalty of the law nearly sixty years ago, for forg-
ing notes of the Bank of Ireland, pencilled the following
lines on the door of his cell : —

" Unhappy wretch, whom Justice calls
To bide your doom within these walls,
Know that to thee this gloomy cell
May prove, perhaps, the porch of Hell.
Thy crimes confest, thy sins forgiven,
Mysterious change ! it leads to Heaven.'1

It is to be hoped that the soul of the poor prisoner ex-
perienced the "mysterious change " which his untimely
fate led him so fully to appreciate.

CHAPTER VII.

gonne's watch.

In the year 1810 a manufacturing goldsmith of high re-
spectability, named Gonne, lived in Crow Street, Dublin.
His establishment was noted for the superior execution of
chased work, especially in watch cases, and he had occa-
sionally extensive orders from the house of Roskill, of
Liverpool, the reputation of which for watches and chro-
nometers, was then, as it is still, extremely high. Mr.
Gonne indulged himself in the purchase of a splendid gold
watch of Roskill's best make, and prided himself greatly
on the possession of an article not to be surpassed either
in exquisite ornamentation or accuracy of movement. He
was fond of pedestrian excursions, and his hours of relaxa-
tion were frequently devoted to a ramble along the low road
to Lucan, which is certainly not inferior in picturesque
scenery, to any other of the many beautiful localities in
the vicinity of Dublin ; but on one night Mr. Gonne
came home greatly disgusted with his promenade, and
avowing a determination never again to set foot on that
nasty road. He did not bring home his beautiful watch,
and it transpired that a man, of small stature, had dis-
turbed an agreeable revery by requesting to be accommo-
dated with whatsoever money Mr. Gonne had in his pos-
session, and that he also expressed great admiration of his

54 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

watch and insisted on the immediate delivery of that article.
The propinquity of a pistol to Mr. Gonne's breast, induced
a speedy compliance with the disagreeable demand. On
his arrival in Dublin, Gonne declared that he had been
robbed by a little tailor. He stated that the fellow's fea-
tures were concealed by a veil, and that as soon as he got
the watch and a small sum of money into his possession,
he managed to ascend the wall of Woodlands demesne
with surprising agility, and on it he seated himself cross-
legged. He then addressed the victim of his depredation
by name, and assured him that his watch should be safely
kept, and that an opportunity should be afforded for re-
deeming it for ten pounds. Gonne apprised the authorities
of the outrage which he had suffered. He declared that
he never, to his knowledge, beheld the robber before ; that
he did not recognise his voice, but felt satisfied that he was
a tailor, from the manner in which he sat on the wall. An
experienced peace-officer who heard the description, agreed
with Gonne that the delinquent was a tailor, and added
that he knew the man. It appeared that there was a little
knight of the thimble, of most remarkable activity, named
Flood ; he was of dissipated habits, and was known at the
racket-court in John's Lane, where his play was most
astonishing. He rarely missed a ball, and none would en-
counter him in a match of rackets, unless at very great
odds. Flood was sought for, but was not forthcoming.
Several of the provincial towns were searched in vain, and
it was supposed that he had left the country, when he was
apprehended, almost in the act of committing a highway
robbery on the Rock-road, which at that time constituted
a portion of the City of Dublin. His haunts were dis-
covered and searched, and several articles of value, supposed
to have been acquired by highway robbery, were found.

Gonne1 s Watch. 55

There was a case quite sufficient for the conviction of
Flood in the affair for which he was apprehended ; but it
was deemed expedient to investigate several other charges,
and amongst them the robbery of Mr, Gonne, who mi-
nutely detailed all the circumstances of his disagreeable ad*
venture on the Lucan Road, but he could not identify the
prisoner. He was then directed by the divisional magis-
trate of police, before whom the case was pending, to pass
round to the rere of the bench and view a number of
watches which were in a drawer, of which the magistrate
had the key. His watch was not amongst them. Flood
was committed for trial, and sent to Newgate on two other
charges, but the robbery of Mr. Gonne was not considered
one on which an indictment could be sustained.

At the period to which this narrative refers, there was
in Ireland a Lord Lieutenant belonging to the highest rank
of nobility. His tastes and amusements were rather un-
like those of his successors. His personal undertaking
was quite sufficient for the disposal of three or four bottles
of claret after dinner. He was so good a judge of whisky-
punch as to impart to Kinahan's LL its peculiar designa-
tion and much of its popularity amongst " choice spirits."
He dined at Donnybrook fair, upstairs in a tent,* visited
John's Well in its pattern days, took oyster suppers at
"Queen Casey's " cellar in Britain Street, patronized an
occasional cockle party at Dollymount, superintended

• The proprietor of this tent was a person named Cheevers. Having
received an intimation, a few days before the fair, that the Lord Lieutenant
would, with a select party, dine in his tent, he had it constructed with a
lofting or first-floor, and a flight of steps, by which the Viceregal party
ascended to their repast. On the succeeding days, whilst the fair lasted,
the elevated apartment which had been honored by his Excellency was
crowded to excess, and Cheevers received an ample remuneration for his
very original project.

56 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

matches of single-stick in the riding school, witnessed
what was then termed the "Royal Sport of Cock-fighting "
in Clarendon Street ; and his fingers were no strangers to
u the gloves." But his favorite amusement was harmless
and graceful. He played rackets frequently in John's
Lane, and took great pleasure in witnessing a match well
contested by first-rate players. At the time of Flood's
detection, his Excellency was making a tour through the
south of Ireland, and after an interval of a few weeks, he
returned to Dublin, to receive some English visitors of
distinguished position and convivial tendencies. Amongst
them was Lord Sydney Osborne, who prided himself upon
his skill at rackets, and who on the day of his arrival
stated at the viceregal table, that he was open to play
" any man in the world " for a thousand guineas. His
Excellency immediately took up the wager, and engaged
to find a successful competitor for his noble guest. It
was stipulated that the match should be played within
three weeks, at the racket-court of the Kildare Street Club.
On the following morning the Lord Lieutenant proceeded
to John's Lane, and apprised the marker of the racket-
court that he wished to find a little fellow whom he had
frequently seen there, and whom he described as the most
expert player that had ever come under his observation, as
one who had distanced all his antagonists, but he had
forgotten his name.

" My Lord," replied the marker, " I think your Excel-
lency means Flood."

" Yes, yes, I now recollect the name ; I want him par-
ticularly, for I have wagered a large sum on a match be-
tween him and an English gentleman, and if he wins, I
shall reward him amply."

" Murder! murder !" exclaimed the marker, " your Grace

Gonne's Watch. 57

must lose. Flood can't play your match, he is to be hung
on Saturday. He played rackets well, but he played some
queer tricks, too. He used to go looking for watches and
purses on the roads outside Dublin, and he was caught at
last, just near Merrion churchyard. Baron George tried
him, and he was found guilty. The judge told him to ex-
pect no mercy, so he is to die at Newgate on Saturday."

" Tis a d d business/' said his Excellency.

" Indeed it's likely to end that way," replied the marker,
"for he was rather loosely conducted, and now he has
but a very short time to make his soul."

His Excellency departed greatly disconcerted ; he felt
that he had been too hasty in his wager. His thousand
guineas appeared to be hopelessly gone, and he could not
bear to think how Lord Sydney Osborne would chuckle at
a walk over. He dined that day in Stephen's Green with
his very intimate friend, Sir Hercules Lang r is he, to whom
he took an opportunity of communicating his unpleasant
predicament. To his great surprise, Sir Hercules did not
appear to think that there was much difficulty in the
matter, and he even intimated his willingness to back
Flood for a hundred or two. "There is no danger," ob-
served the baronet, " of a change of ministry ; you will be
Lord Lieutenant for some years ; so the sooner you give
flood a pardon, and set him to practise for the match, the
better chance for your wager/'

"Could there be a memorial got up in his favor?"
suggested his Excellency.

" It would not be advisable," replied Sir Hercules ; " it
would make the affair a public topic. No, that would not
do ; just send over a pardon to-morrow ; let Flood come
to me. I shall procure liberty for the fellow to practise at
the Shelbourne Barracks, and he also can get into the

58 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

court at the club at early hours, as it is there that the
match is to be played."

It was soon known that Flood was saved. The motive
was left to public ingenuity to discover, and, consequently,
every reason except the true one was assigned. It was
supposed by many that he had given some valuable infor-
mation about a recent mail-coach robbery; but in the
meanwhile, he had been made aware of the high opinion
entertained of his skill as a racket-player, and the expec-
tations that he would win the match.

Full of gratitude for having been rescued from the gallows,
he promised to win, and redeemed his promise. His noble
antagonist was an excellent player, but in hand, eye, and
agility, the tailor was greatly superior. The nobleman be-
came agitated and lost his temper, which was speedily
followed by his money. His aristocratic feelings were
not, however, outraged by even a suspicion of the fact,
that he was defeated by a little tailor, who, if the law had
been permitted to take its course, would have "shuffled
off his mortal coil" in front of Newgate; and who had
been liberated from the condemned cell only for the pur-
pose of liberating a thousand guineas from the pocket of
a duke's brother.

His Excellency gave Flood fifty pounds and some good
advice, suggesting a removal from Dublin and even from
Ireland; but Flood was for some time unwilling to depart. -
He remained in a city where he could only be known as
" the unhanged one," and where his character could not
be retrieved. His trade was useless. He could not obtain
any employment. His money was soon exhausted, and
he had an insuperable objection to recur to hU former
habit of taking nocturnal strolls in quest of watches and
purses. Unwilling to give the law another lien on his

Gonne's Watch. 59

neck; he at length determined to leave Ireland as soon as
he could obtain means of crossing the Channel. Mr.
Gonne was rather surprised by receiving a visit from him,
and still more by the request of a couple of pounds. The
indignation of a man who had been robbed of his watch
and money exploded at once. He assured Flood of his
sincere regret and deep disappointment at the gallows
having been shamefully defrauded of its due. He then
informed him, in terms more plain than polite, that he
could not expect any contribution on the voluntary prin-
ciple, but that a reasonable expenditure would be willingly
incurred to procure a halter, if its application to Flood's
neck was guaranteed. The " unhanged one" bore all this
very meekly, and said that he had a simple and intelligible
proposal to make, namely, that Mr. Gonne should lodge
two pounds in the hands of a certain person on condition
that the money should be restored if the watch was not
recovered by its owner : but if the article was obtained for
Mr. Gonne, Flood was to receive the deposit, to enable
him to leave Dublin for ever.

This offer was acceded to, and the cash was lodged with
Jack Stevenson of St. Andrew Street. Jack was a man
of very extensive connections. He had nephews and nieces
in abundance ; and whenever any of them wished to retire
plate, jewels, or trinkets from the vulgar gaze, Jack, like
an affectionate uncle, advanced, and took charge of the
valuable articles. He adorned the space between his front
windows with the ancient crest of Lombardy, three golden
apples; and his transactions with his relatives were of such
a particular nature, that they were recorded in duplicate.
He had known Flood in his early days, before he had
become an adept either in racket-playing or robbing. He
consented to hold the money subject to the specified

60 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

conditions; and then Flood and Gonne proceeded to the-
last place to which it might be imagined that the steps of the
former would be voluntarily directed, namely, to the Police
Office, where he had been charged, and from whence he
had been committed. There he told Gonne to remain at
the exterior door; and, as the Office was about to be
closed for the day, he desired him to ask the magistrate
when he came out, what was the exact time. Gonne
complied with this direction, and His Worship readily,
but rather too hastily, produced a watch. No sooner was
it displayed than its appearance elicited the most disagree-
able oath ever sworn before the " worthy justice," for

Gonne instantly exclaimed, "By G ! that's my

watch."

Gonne obtained his watch, and was with great difficulty
persuaded to refrain from bringing the transaction under
the notice of the Executive. The system by which the
magistrate managed occasionally to possess himself of a
valuable watch or some other costly article, consisted in
having two or three drawers wherein to keep the property
found with highwaymen or thieves. If the prosecutor
identified the delinquent, he was then shown the right
drawer ; but if he could not swear to the depredator, the
wrong drawer was opened.

The magistrate to whom this narrative refers, was dis-
missed in a short time after, for attempting to embezzle
fifty pounds. I wish, for the honor of the profession
of which I am proud to be a member, to state that he
was not a barrister. Flood was afterwards for many years
the marker of a racket court at Tottenham Court Road,
London. He judiciously and wittily changed his name
to Waters.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE MAJOR.

I shall now advert to another Police magistrate whose
name I need not refrain from mentioning, inasmuch as
although his unpopularity was unparalleled, his name has
never been associated with any imputation of a dishononr-
able or debasing tendency, such as was manifested in re-
ference to Gonne's watch. Henry Charles Sirr was for
many years Town-Major of Dublin; and through the in-
surrection of 1798, and during the outbreak of 1803, he was
peculiarly energetic and most unscrupulous in the exercise
of his powers as a magistrate of Police, in which capacity
he continued until his death in 1841. He was detested by
all those to whose opinions he was opposed, and whose
designs and acts he was engaged in repressing or punish-
ing. He was not respected by those of a contrary ten-
dency ; for he unnecessarily and continually engaged per-
sonally in enquiries, searches, and arrests, which a proper
appreciation of his magisterial position would have induced
him to leave to his subordinates. He was accustomed,
during the insurrectionary times, to traverse the streets of
Dublin or the suburbs, with some special attendants fol-
lowing at a short distance. He carried pistols, and was
also provided with a short heavy bludgeon. If a suspicion
crossed his mind in reference to any person whom he

62 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

casually met, his usual practice was to knock the individual
down, and then to ascertain if he had secured the right
man. He was of considerable although indirect advantage
to his colleagues and successor; for, during his official
career, the acts of his colleagues, if of an unpopular ten-
dency, were attributed to the example he afforded, or to his
supposed suggestions. His successor was judged by the
contrast, and his faults were considered as venial mistakes,
whilst the Major's acts were only remembered to be stig-
matized as wilful misdeeds. His courage has been doubted,
but the imputation of cowardice is not fairly sustained.
It arises from the prejudice which satisfied itself that he
could not possess any good quality. His conduct at the
apprehension of Lord Edward Fitzgerald did not evince
either courage or cowardice. He entered the room after
the conflict had commenced, and fired the fatal shot, in all
probability, to save the life of his associate. He frequently,
and without any necessity, risked his personal safety, and
there is no sound reason for believing that he was of a
pusillanimous nature.

In 1798 Sirr received information that a young man of
most respectable family, who had involved himself in the in-
surrectionary movement of the period, had arrived in Dublin,
and was concealed in the upper room of a house in Bull
Alley. The Major proceeded, attended by several of his
myrmidons, to the place, and entered a house on the right
hand side from Bride Street, the lower part of the premises
being a butcher's shop. He went up to the front two-
pair room, and there surprised the accused party lying on
a bed and partly undressed. He held a pistol to the young
man's head, and commanded him to arise and surrender.
The mandate was complied with, and the captive ap-
parently submitted to his fate. He arose and asked

The Major. 63

permission to wash his face and hands, which was accorded
and he then put on his coat, which the Major had pre-
viously ascertained to have no weapons in the pockets.
Suddenly the prisoner made a spring, throwing himself
bodily against the window, which yielded to his force, and
out he went. Sirr shouted and dashed down stairs,
gready impeded by his own assistants who were hurrying
up on the alarm. The poor fellow who had adopted so
desperate an expedient, met, in his fall, a clothes pole, and
then came on some wooden shed work which projected
over the front of the shop ; the latter was rather crazy and
gave away. He sprang to his feet unhurt, darted down the
alley, and escaped by one of the numerous passages with
which it communicated. Sirr hastened down to the
Coombe, turned out the Poddle guard, and searched the
neighbourhood, but without success. When the British
government, after the campaign of Waterloo, formed some
regiments of- lancers, they procured two Austrian officers,
of ascertained capability, to impart a knowledge of the
lance exercise to those regiments. One of the officers was
the Bull Alley jumper. He took an opportunity of renew-
ing his acquaintance with Sirr, and jocosely apologised for
having terminated their previous interview so suddenly
and unceremoniously.

Sirr was once tricked into making himself instrumental
in carrying out the punishment desired by an outraged
father against a profligate son, and it occurred also in the
unhappy year of 1798. There was a wealthy bookseller
residing on Lower Ormond Quay, who had a son, his
only child, bearing the same Christian name. Mr.

Patrick W , the father, was very indulgent. Mr.

Patrick W , the son, was extremely vicious. His time

was chiefly spent in society of the most objectionable

64 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

description, and he was not particular as to the means
whereby he made his father's money available for his
licentious pleasures. He had been absent from the pater-
nal roof for some weeks. His father had vainly sought
to discover him, when he unexpectedly met him in the
street, and directed a storm of well-merited reproaches on
the young reprobate.

Young Pat stood submissively attentive to his parent,
and allowed him to vent the first burst of his wrath, and
when old Pat closed his impassioned complaints by per-
emptorily ordering him to go home, he mildly replied, " I
was going there, sir, to try if you would admit me ; I own
it is more than I deserve, but give me one trial more before
you cast me off: give me one more trial and you shall not
regret it."

"You young villain! where have you spent the last
month ? "

" I spent it as badly as I could, except the last week,
and during that time I have been with Mr. Luke White,
at Woodlands."

" At Woodlands ! " exclaimed the astonished old man,
" Is it with Luke White, my oldest, my most valued friend*
you have been ? "

" Yes sir. This day week I was walking in Stephen's
Green, and Mr. White met me. I sought to avoid him,
I own that, but he called after me, took me aside and ex-
postulated with me about my habits and associates. He
told me that I was breaking your heart, and that I must
reform my life. He said that he grieved, as did all your
friends, over the coming ruin of your hopes, and that he
was determined, if possible, to avert it ; that you were
his esteemed, respected, and highly valued friend. He
then proposed that I should go out to him that evening

The Major. 65

to Woodlands for a week, and that in the peaceful retire-
ment of that residence, he would try to bring me to a
proper sense of duty to a worthy father. I yielded to his
remonstrances, and accepted his invitation; and having
spent the week with that excellent gentleman, I was going,
by his direction, to throw myself upon my knees before
you, and implore your forgiveness."

"Oh!" exclaimed old Pat, "may heaven's choicest
blessings be showered on him, my real, true friend, who
felt for my misery, and has relieved it. Come, Pat, my
darling boy, all is forgiven and forgotten. Happiness is
in store for us both. You will be my pride and comfort.
I can die contented if my eyes are closed by a son whom
I leave respectable in conduct and character ."

Father and son proceeded home; and old Pat imme-
diately sought all means to convince young Pat of his
faults having been condoned. He was informed of the
business transactions then pending; and his father handed
him a cheque for a considerable amount, and directed him
to proceed to the bank, and pay some bills which were due
that day.

Young Pat departed. He did not return ; and the
notary's messengers called in the evening with the unpaid
bills. The miserable parent was only able to discover
that his son had been seen, during the afternoon, in most
disreputable society. Next morning old Pat waited on
Mr. White, and thanked him most warmly for his exer-
tions to reclaim the young reprobate by his advice and
expostulations. " If anything could have produced a good
effect on him," exclaimed the agonized father, " it would
have been your advice, your example, and the contempla-
tion of the sweet scene and happy family to which your
invitation last week "

66 Gleanings and Retniniscenses.

" My dear sir/' interrupted Mr. White, " there is a great
delusion on your mind. I have not seen your son, nor
have I had any communication whatever with him for
more than twelve months."

The old gentleman staggered to a seat. A terrible con-
vulsion shook his frame. Then supervened that which
is fearful to witness in woman, but doubly horrible in man,
hysterical tears and sardonic laughter. At length the fit
terminated. Old Pat arose and took his leave. He walked
away with surprising energy, and his countenance assumed
a calmness beneath which was concealed nothing less

" Than the stern, single, deep, and wordless ire
Of a strong human heart, and in a sire/1

- Old Pat sought a private interview with Major Sirr, and
confided to him strong suspicions that young Pat was
compromised with the United Irishmen, and that if closely
and properly interrogated, he could disclose a great deal,
especially as to some depots of pikes and other weapons
intended for insurrectionary purposes. He affected to
stipulate for the utmost secrecy as to the Major's infor-
mant, protested that he regarded the rebels with the ut-
most horror and detestation, and that he had no idea of
favoring a change in public affairs detrimental to those
who, by unremitting industry, had realized property. He
suggested that his son, when arrested, should be brought
to the Custom House, which, at that time, was in Essex
Street, and directly opposite to his own residence on
Ormond Quay. Sirr entered into his views, complimented
him on his prudence and loyalty, and took immediate
measures for the arrest of young Pat, who, when captured,
was delivered to some of " Beresford's Troop," to exercise
their inquisitorial talents in eliciting: all he knew about

The Major. 67

men whom he had never seen, and as to designs of which,
in all probability, he had never heard. The young man
was perfectly free from all political or religious influences.
Beau Brummell might as justly have been accused of
complicity in the designs of revolutionary sans culottes,
as young Pat of any sympathy with other pursuits than
the midnight orgies and debasing revels of the worst of
both sexes.

Iq the Custom House yard he was interrogated, and
his denials only produced louder and sterner demands.
Truth, strict truth, issued from lips to which it had been
hitherto a stranger. The triangles stood before him, and
all his protestations of innocence were uttered to ears
worse than deaf. He was stripped, tied up, and lashed
until he swooned; then taken down, and recalled to a
sense of existence by restoratives, only to be put up again,
until, at last, he lay before his torturers, a lacerated and
semi-animate frame, incapable of enduring further suffer-
ing. They cursed him as an obdurate, callous villain, from
whom nothing could be extorted ; and whilst his terrific
punishment was in process of infliction, his father was
looking on, from the window of his residence. The
wretched youth was conveyed home, and a considerable
time elapsed before he was sufficiently recovered to proceed
to America, whence he never returned. His father made
no secret of the means he adopted to punish young Pat
and to trick the Major.

Sin* was occasionally humorous. He announced to one
of his acquaintances the fate which was expected to befal
Theobald Wolfe Tone, in the laconic phrase — " Mr. Tone
is to a-tone to-morrow in the front of Newgate.'1 Galvin,
the hangman, having applied to Sirr for his interest and re-
commendation to procure a small pension, laid before him

68 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

a memorial, which he was desirous of having forwarded
to Government under the Major's auspices. In it the
veteran executioner submitted that for many years he had
acted as finisher of the law in the County and City of
Dublin, with frequent visits for professional purposes to
towns on the Home and the Leinster circuits. That age
and infirmities were rendering him incapable of continuing
his public duties ; and that he humbly besought a small
pension for the support of his declining years. " Tom,"
said the Major, " you should have stated in your memo-
rial that during your official career you discharged your
duties to the perfect satisfaction of all parties concerned"
" I thank you, Major/' replied the stupid old wretch, " I'll
get it altered, and put that in." One of Sirr's colleagues,
a barrister, was remarkable for speaking in a low voice,
and with a great lisp. He was indebted to the Major for
the nickname of "Mississippi."

At a funeral in St. Werburgh's churchyard, and close
by the vaults in which the body of Lord Edward Fitz-
gerald had been deposited, the Major was present. After

the interment, a Mr. S. , whose person was invariably

extremely slovenly, approached him and remarked, €€ I
suppose, Major, that you cannot be here without thinking
of Lord Edward."

" My friend," was the reply, " I am at present thinking
of you, and wondering from whence you derive such an
ample supply of soiled shirts."

In 1 831, during Earl Grey's administration, Sirr attended
meetings convened in favor of Parliamentary Reform, and
moved resolutions of the most liberal tendency. He voted
at the city election for the Reform candidates, and was
twitted by the late Thomas Ellis for having deserted his
party and forgotten his principles. His answer was simple

The Major. 6g

and true — " I am totally unchanged ; I have always sup-
ported the Government, and I shall continue to do so."

When the piers which form Kingstown harbour were
in course of construction, the supply of stone was derived
from immense quarries at Killiney, and conveyed along
a tramway, on which, near the quarries, there were slopes
down which the loaded waggons required no impelling
power, but rather to be restrained, by breaks, from acquir-
ing a dangerous velocity. Major Sirr was fond of collect-
ing natural curiosities, especially of a geological nature ;
and he frequently visited Killiney in quest of spar forma-
tions, which were occasionally found there. He was by no
means niggardly in his dealings with the spar finders ; but
still he could not conciliate them into a feeling of kind-
ness or respect. One day he was proceeding up the tram-
way slope when the discharge of artillery at the Pigeon
House fort attracted his attention. He turned and looked
in the direction of the firing, just at the moment when
a train of loaded wagons was about to descend. Being
right before them, he would have been utterly destroyed in
a moment, but the breaksman saw his perilous situation,
and applied the requisite pressure, stopped the train, and
saved the Major. Several persons witnessed his danger
and the prompt means by which it was averted. On the
transaction becoming known in the quarries, there was
an immediate strike. All work was stopped, and a de-
termination was unanimously avowed to insist on the
dismissal of the breaksman. No specific complaint was
preferred against the individual whose expulsion was re-
quired. The Harbor Commissioners deputed Mr. Hickman
Kearney to enquire into the grounds and reasons for such
an extraordinary demand. He went to the quarries and
called on the workmen to come forward and explain the

jo Gleanings and Reminiscences.

cause of their animosity to the breaksman. The only
reply was that " he should go." It appeared, on reference .
to the clerk of the works, and to the overseers, that the
obnoxious man was honest, sober, diligent, and attentive
to his duties ; and it was strongly urged that no accident
had occurred at the slope since his appointment, and that
he had, by his presence of mind and promptitude, saved
Major Sirr's life. This produced a general exclamation
of " That's the reason he sha'nt stay amongst us. What
business had he to save the Major ?" The poor breaksman
would have lost his employment, but for an old and in-
fluential workman who interfered in his favor, and induced
the others to forgive him, provided he faithfully promised
never to do the like again.

The Major was peculiarly unpopular amongst the hack-
ney carriage drivers, and yet he was not a severe judge of
their delinquencies, for he dismissed nearly half the com-
plaints preferred before him, and the average of his fines
was three shillings and sixpence; still, they hated him;
and although he preached to them very many little ser-
mons in the carriage court, and occasionally sought to
impart Scriptural knowledge to their minds, the benighted
"jarveys" detested the magisterial apostle. At last the
" Major" died. His illness was very brief, and his in-
disposition commenced in a covered car. He drove home
to the Lower Castle-yard, and never rallied, but sank in
a few hours. The story was circulated that he actually
died in a covered car ; and for some time after his decease,
I was occasionally treated to the hearing of complaints
preferred by covered car-drivers against outside carmen,
for usurping their turns, and defrauding them of their
jobs. It was, and is, very unusual for carmen to sum-
mon members of their own body; but in the cases to

The Major: 71

which I refer there was a peculiar grossness assigned to
the offence. " Yer worship/' the plaintiff would exclaim,
" I would not mind him stumping me, but he roared out
to the people that were going to hire me that my car was
the very one the owld Major died in, and yer worship,
I could %nt he expected to forgive that"

CHAPTER IX.

COMMITTALS A BARBER WANTED — DWYER THE

REBEL AN EXTRAORDINARY INQUEST SER-
GEANT greene's horse — christy hughes —

THE POLICE CLERKS RECORDER WALKER THE

POLICE STATUTES PREAMBLE A BENEFIT SO-
CIETY CASE POLICE RECRUITS A BORN SOL-
DIER.

It is pleasing to observe decided improvements in insti-
tutions of importance to the community. In the time of
Major Sirr, the coarsest language was addressed from the
bench of the police courts, not only to prisoners on serious
charges, but to persons prosecuting or defending sum-
monses. If a magistrate of police were now to apply
terms of abuse, even to the most disreputable characters,
he would most certainly be severely censured, or perhaps
dismissed. The personal characters of the present magis-
trates of Dublin ensure the observance of the strictest
propriety in their courts. I may remark, also, that im-
prisonment cannot now be inflicted in the reckless manner
formerly adopted. On the day when my magisterial func-
tions commenced, I called for a list of the existing com-
mittals to the Dublin prisons from the Head Office. I
was astonished to find that one man had been detained

A Barber Wanted. 73

for the previous fifteen years, another for thirteen, and
a third for ten, in default of sureties' to keep the peace,
and be of good behaviour. I ordered the immediate
discharge of those persons, and two of them expressed
great dissatisfaction at being thrown upon the world
from which they had been so long estranged. These
committals were signed by Major Sirr. There is no
danger of persons being now sent to prison, and forgotten
there; for if such a committal were sent, through ignorance
or inadvertence, the Board of Superintendence would soon
draw attention to the fact of a prisoner's subsistence being
charged on the public for an illegal or unreasonable period.
At the time when the committals to which I have alluded
came under my notice, I happened to meet with some
reports from a Governor of the Richmond Bridewell ad-
dressed to the magistrates of the Head Police Office dur-
ing the time when that prison was under their exclusive
control and supervision. In one of these documents, the
writer states the building to be in good repair, and per-
fectly adapted for the safe custody of its inmates, and that
every ward was in a clean and wholesome condition. He
proceeds to describe the good effects produced by the use
he made of a barber, who, for riotous and disorderly con-
duct, had been committed for two months with hard
labour. He had not put the delinquent to stone-breaking
or oakum picking, but employed him in shaving and hair-
cutting of the other prisoners, the effect of which was to
improve their appearance, and to impart cleanly tendencies.
He then expresses his regret that the barbels term of im-
prisonment had elapsed, and that the prisoners had become
less cleanly-looking from remaining unshaven and uncropt.
He terminates the report by earnestly and most respect-
fully suggesting to " their worships " to avail themselves

74 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

of the first opportunity that may offer for committing
another barber fw the longest term in their power.

For some time after my appointment to the magistracy,
Alderman John Smith Fleming was my senior colleague
at the Head Office. He had a verv vivid recollection of
the rebellion of 1798, and was secretary to his uncle,
Alderman Thomas Fleming, Lord Mayor of Dublin in
that year. Amongst other anecdotes of that period, I
have heard him relate that Dwyer, one of the insurgent
chiefs, had prolonged his resistance for some months after
the insurrection had been generally quelled. In the moun-
tains of Wicklow, with a few but faithful followers, he
evaded every exertion for his capture. Mr. Hume, of Hume-
wood, near Baltin glass, was particularly anxious to secure
Dwyer. He was the commander of a corps of yeomanry,
and a magistrate of the County of Wicklow, which he
also represented in Parliament. Of very extensive in-
fluence, he easily procured the co-operation of the civil and
military authorities of his own and of the adjoining dis-
tricts. Still Dwyer was not to be had. At length an
arrangement was made that the yeomanry corps of the
western portion of Wicklow should assemble, at an early
hour on an appointed day, at Humewood, and should set
out to scour the country, exploring every recess, and leaving
no place, on hill or plain, unransacked for Dwyer. Yeo-
manry from Wexford, Carlow, and Kildare were to move
on preconcerted points, so as to intercept the fugitive if he
should attempt to shift his quarters. A day was wholly
spent in a most fatiguing search. It seemed as if Dwyer
had transformed himself into a bird, and flown beyond
sight or reach. However, in a short time, Mr. Hume
received an intimation, that if Dwyer's life would be
spared, and that he would be permitted to leave the

An Extraordinary Inquest. 75

country, he was willing to surrender. With the assent of
the Government, Mr. Hume acceded to this offer. Dwyer
was brought to Dublin, and the required undertaking and
consequent immunity from punishment were acknow-
ledged before the Lord Mayor. The outlaw was kindly
and generously treated by Mr. Hume during the few days
which preceded his departure for America; and at a final
inverview Mr. Hume said — " Before we part, Dwyer, will
you tell me how you avoided capture on the day that we
scoured the whole country in search of you }" " Sir/'
replied Dwyer, " I had information of your intentions, so
I went to Humewood on the night before, and when the
yeomen were paraded on your lawn, before they started in
search of me, I was looking at them from your hay-loft"

For some years previous to 1842, the number of persons
"found drowned" in the County of Dublin was much
greater than might be expected either from the extent of
the population or the nature of the locality. It was in-
deed true that one canal, the Grand, extended along the
greater part of the southern boundary of the Irish metro-
polis, and another, the Royal, was similarly situated in
the northern direction ; but although these canals afforded
great facilities for the termination of human existence,
whether by suicide or accident, the cases of drowning
were far more numerous than could be fairly attributed to
violence, intoxication, lunacy, or carelessness. It would
also seem that the southern canal was much more destruc-
tive to human life than the other, and that the bank which
was in the county possessed some attraction for the
corpses, for they were almost always taken out at the
county side. It happened on the 11th of March, 1842, a
few minutes before 10 o'clock, a.m., that a young man
named Kinsella, who was employed in a distillery at

76 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

Marrowbone Lane, was proceeding, after his breakfast,
from his residence at Dolphin's Barn to resume his work,
when, on approaching the canal bridge, he was stopped by
a constable, who informed him that the coroner required
his attendance, as a juror, on an inquest that was about
to be held on the body of an old man, just taken out of
the canal. Kinsella vainly expostulated against the deten-
tion. He was told that it would be a very short business,
for there were no marks of violence on the corpse; it
would merely be a case of " found drowned." The man
was accordingly sworn on the inquest, and the coroner
having informed the jury that they were required by law to
view the body, they were conducted to the apartment where
it lay. As soon as Kinsella beheld the corpse, he rushed
forward, dropped on his knees beside it, seized the stiff
and frigid hand, and exclaimed "My father! my poor,
dear father ! We buried him on this day week, decently
and well, in the Hospital Fields. He had no business in
the canal ; and them old clothes never belonged to him ; he
never wore a stitch of them." The coroner and the doc-
tor vainly endeavoured to persuade Kinsella that he was
mistaken ; and his recognition of his parent produced an
enquiry, which resulted in bringing to light some very ex-
traordinary practices on the part of the county functionary
and his medical satellite. They were paid by public present-
ment, according to the number of inquests held; and they
had recourse to the expedient of having bodies disinterred,
clothed in old habiliments, and thrown into the canal.
Such bodies were almost always discovered very soon, and
were taken out on the county side of the canal, to swell
the coroner's next presentment for inquests on persons
who were "found drowned." A crush from a passing
barge afforded an additional profit, as the bruises constituted

Sergeant Greene's Horse. yy

a plausible reason for a post mortem examination, and there-
by doubled the doctor's ordinary fee. The coroner and his
associate were convicted of conspiring to defraud, and con-
sequently were deprived of their functions. It must be ac-
knowledged that, if their mode of procuring inquests was
not honest, it was certainly novel and ingenious. If the
practice had been known in the days of Hamlet, it would
have furnished an additional reason for his exclamation : —

«<

To what base uses we may return, Horatio."

In the year T842, and for several subsequent years, by
an arrangement with my colleagues, I undertook the
magisterial duties connected with the licensing and regu-
lation of job and hackney vehicles, and the adjudication of
complaints in the carriage court. At the time when I
assuumed those duties, Richard Wilson Greene (whose
high legal acquirements ultimately obtained for him the
position of Baron in the Court of Exchequer) was in very
extensive practice at the Bar. An issue from Chancery
was sent to be tried at one of the principal towns on the
Leinster Circuit, and he was specially retained for one of
the parties. A very efficient reporter, named Christopher
Hughes, in whose character there was great comical ec-
centricity, was employed to take down, in short hand,
the trial of the issue. Early in the succeeding term, it
was arranged that a consultation should be held at the
house of the senior counsel, in Leeson Street, and Mr.
Hughes was requested to meet Mr. Greene at the Courts,
with his notes, and to accompany him to the consultation.
The appointed time had nearly arrived, when Greene and
Hughes hurried off from the Four Courts. Having passed
out to the quay, the former hailed an outside car, on which
they sat beside each other, and the driver was ordered to

78 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

make all possible haste to Leeson Street. The horse was
a fine-looking animal, but he stepped high and was very
slow. Mr. Greene urged the' driver to hasten on, and
after two or three expostulations, he remarked to the Jehu
that the horse was unfit for a jaunting car, although he was
large and strong, but that he would suit well for a family
carriage. The driver, a lad of eighteen or nineteen years
of age, exclaimed, " Bedad your honor is a witch \" u What
do you mean?" asked Mr. Greene. " Oh," replied the
carman, " I mane no offince, but yer honor is right about
the baste ; that's what he is. I'll tell yer honor a saycret.
The baste is a carriage horse belonging to one Counsellor
Greene, and the coachman has a hack-car and figure on
Bride Street stand. He ginerally manages to have some-
thing the matther with one of the horses, and that gives
him an opportunity to get a good deal of work out of the
other in the car." Although Mr. Greene was very angry
at what the driver had communicated, he did not disclose
that he was the owner of the horse. He whispered to
Hughes, and requested him to give the driver his name and
address, but to leave him unpaid. When they arrived at
Leeson Street, Greene at once entered the house of the
senior counsel, and warned the servant against telling his
name to the carman. Hughes had a scene, and was
treated to a copious supply of opprobrious epithets, but he
did not pay, and merely gave his name and address. He
was summoned, at the owner's suit, before me; and wherx
the case was called the proprietor of the vehicle, in very
energetic terms, demanded exemplary costs against the
defaulting hirer of his car. His denunciations were sud-
denly interrupted by the appearance of Mr. Greene ; and
there was abundant merriment, of which I had a full
share, when it transpired that the learned Queen's Counsel

Christy Hughes. 79

had hired a hack-car drawn by his own horse. The coach-
man ran out of court, and I afterwards heard that he never
applied for wages or discharge. The incident attained
great publicity, and afforded much amusement in "The
Hall" amongst the long-robed fraternity. One day Greene
said to some of his brethren that he believed the fellow had
left Dublin, but that he was strongly tempted to send the
police in quest of him. t€ Send your horse/' observed the
facetious Robert Holmes, " for he is best acquainted with
the carman9 s traces."

Mr. Hughes, whose name appears in the preceding
anecdote, deserves to be noticed upon his own merits. He
was frequently engaged in reporting proceedings in the
Police Courts, and we never had occasion to impute any in-
accuracy to his statements. He was always ready to
assist any of his brethren of the " press-gang," and to
suggest a palliation or excuse for their casual errors. I
frequently indulged him with permission to sit in the
magistrate's room whilst he was transcribing his notes,
and I have been often amused with his remarks and state-
ments, which were strictly true, and in which he never
concealed his own professional expedients or mistakes. He
mentioned that he was directed to go to one of the dinners
of the Malachean Orphan Society, where O'Connell pre-
sided, but having indulged in his potations at a luncheon,
he forgot the requirement for his services at Mrs. Mahony's
great rooms in Patrick Street. " I slept," said he, " until
about 11 o'clock, and then I recollected myself, so I went
quiedy to the office and got the file of the previous year,
and, with a little alteration, it did for the day's dinner as
well." He often mentioned what he designated his
greatest mistake. He described it thus : — " On the con-
cluding day of George the Fourth's visit, in 1831, he went

8o Gleanings and Reminiscences.

to Powerscourt, where he got a splendid reception from
the noble proprietor. Lord Powerscourt had caused re-
servoirs to be constructed above the waterfall, in order
that when his Majesty went to see it, the sluices might
be drawn, and a tremendous cataract produced. I went
down in the morning and viewed the place, and minutely
noted all the preparations. I then drew on my imagina-
tion for a description of a second Niagara, and put into
the mouth of the royal visitor various exclamations of de-
light and surprise. I sent off my report, and it appeared
in due time, but unfortunately the king was too much
hurried by other arrrangements, and did not go to the
Waterfall at all, but drove direct from Powerscourt House
to Kingstown, where he embarked. I have been often
quizzed for my imaginative report, but, nevertheless, I
stated what the King ought to have done, and what he
ought to have said, and if he did otherwise, it was not my
fault."

I was extremely fortunate, at my accession to magis-
terial office, to find myself provided with clerks who could
not be surpassed in diligence, integrity, or intelligence. I
shall particularize Messrs. Pemberton and Cox. The
former was the son of a previous chief magistrate, at
whose instance he was appointed. The latter had been
for several years in America, and had been engaged by
Jacob Philip Astor in forming the settlement of Astoria,
in Washington Irvine's description of which he is most
favorably mentioned. He was a man of great literary-
taste, and was an accomplished linguist. Their perform-
ance of official duties never required from me, nor to my
knowledge from any of my colleagues, the slightest correc-
tion or reproof. Pemberton was a solicitor, and was pro-
moted in 1846 to the Clerkship of the Crown for tlic

Recorder Walker. 81

King's County. He had been many years before an
assistant to Messrs. Allen and Greene, the Clerks of the
Peace for the City of Dublin. I shall have to notice here-
after some amusing incidents connected with Cox, but
shall give precedence to a few anecdotes derived from
Pemberton, and arising from his acquaintance with the
old Session House in Green Street, and the records there,
to which, I suppose, he had full access.

Towards the close of the last century an aid-de-camp of
the then viceroy was indicted, at the Quarter Sessions, for
the larceny of a handsome walking-stick, and also for as-
saulting the gentleman who owned it, and who was, more-
over, a Frenchman. The transaction arose in a house of a
description unnecessary to be particularized. An affray
took place, the Frenchman was kicked down stairs, and
lost his cane, which was alleged to have been wrested
from him by the aid-de-camp. The charge of larceny was
absurd, and the grand jury ignored the indictment. But
the assault could neither be denied nor justified, and the
traverser submitted, pleaded " guilty," and was fined five
pounds. That punishment did not cure his propensity for
beating Frenchmen and taking their sticks. On the 21st
of June, 1 813, he beat Marshal Jourdaii at Vittoria, and
captured his baton; and on the 18th of June, 1815, at
Waterloo, he beat the greatest Frenchman that ever lived,
Napoleon Bonaparte. I do not feel justified in naming
the delinquent aid-de-camp, and perhaps the reader may
think it quite unnecessary that I should.

More than half a century has elapsed since the office of
Recorder of Dublin was held by Mr. William Walker,
whose town residence was in Lower Dominick Street.
One day a groom, in the service of a Mr. Gresson, was
tried before him, for stealing his master's oats. The

G

82 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

evidence was most conclusive, for the culprit had been
detected in the act of taking a large bag of oats out of his
masters stable, which was in the lane at the back of the
east side of Dominick Street. When the prisoner was
convicted, the Recorder addressed him to the following
effect : — " The sentence of the Court is, that you are to
be imprisoned for three calendar months ; and at the com-
mencement of that term you are to be publicly whipped
from one end of that lane to the other, and back again ;
and in the last week of your imprisonment, you are to be
again publicly whipped from one end of that lane to the
other, and back again ; for I am determined, with the
help of Providence, to put a stop to oat-stealing in that
lane" His worship's emphatic denunciation of oat-
stealing in thai lane, arose from the circumstance of his
own stable being the next door to Mr. Gresson's.

The" same civic functionary was a great amateur farmer.
He had a villa and some acres of land at Mount Tallant,
near Harold's Cross, and prided himself upon his abun-
dant crops of early hay. On one occasion he entered the
court to discharge his judicial duties at an adjourned ses-
sions, and was horrified at hearing from the acting Clerk
of the Peace (Mr. Pemberton) that there were upwards of
twenty larceny cases to be tried. " Oh !" said he, " this
is shocking. I have three acres of meadow cut, and I
have no doubt that the haymaking will be neglected or
mismanaged in my absence. In a few minutes, he in-
quired in an undertone, " Is there any old offender on the
calendar ?"

" Yes," was the reply, " there is one named Branagan,
who has been twice convicted for ripping lead from roofs,
and he is here now for a similar offence, committed last
week in Mary's Abbey."

Recorder Walker. 83

" Send a turnkey to him," said the Recorder, "with a

hint that, if he pleads guilty, he will be likely to receive a

light sentence."

These directions were complied with, and the lead-stealer
was put to the bar and arraigned.

" Are you guilty or not guilty ?"
x "Guilty, my lord."

" The sentence of the court is that you be imprisoned
for three months. Remove him."

Branagan retired, delighted to find a short imprisonment
substituted for the transportation that he expected. As
he passed through the dock, he was eagerly interrogated
by the other prisoners —

" What have you got ?"

" Three months."

"Three months — only three months !" they exclaimed ;
" Oh ! but we 're in luck. His lordship is as mild as milk
this morning. It's seldom that he's in so sweet a
humor."

" Put forward another/' said the Recorder.
Are you guilty or not guilty ? "
Guilty, my lord."
Let the prisoner stand back, and arraign the next."

Accordingly, the prisoners were rapidly arraigned, and
the same plea of " Guilty " recorded in each case. Pre-
sently it was signified to his lordship that the calendar was
exhausted. All the thieves had pleaded guilty.

" Put the prisoners to the front of the dock/' said he ;
and they were mustered as he directed. He then briefly
addressed them —

" The sentence of the court is that you and each of you
be transported for seven years. Crier, adjourn the court."

Branagan had been thrown as a sprat, and had caught

€<
€<
ft

84 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

the other fish abundantly. This incident might afford a
useful, or perhaps it should be termed, a convenient sug-
gestion, to other judicial functionaries, especially on cir-
cuit when there is a crowded dock.

When Mr. Pemberton received the appointment of
Clerk of the Crown for the King's County, Mr. Cox, who
had been for several years the second clerk in the Head
Police Office, succeeded to the chief clerkship. He pos-
sessed very extensive knowledge of the world, and was
highly educated. Many incidents connected with him are
worthy of being recorded. I may mention here that the
Police Laws of the Irish Metropolitan district are, to the
highest degree, complex, voluminous, involved, and per-
plexing. In the English Metropolitan district two statutes
regulate, one the Police Force, and the other the Police
Courts. In Dublin we have a statute passed in 1808,
another in 1824, a third in 1836, a fourth in 1837, a fifth
in 1838, a sixth in 1839, a seventh in 1842, and an Act in
relation to public carriages, which may also be termed a
police statute, in 1848. They contain three hundred and
sixty-six sections, and may be designated as disgraceful to
the several executive governments which have left them
unconsolidated and uncodified. When the 5th Vic. sess.
2, Chap. 24, passed, it recited the other Acts to which I
have alluded, and then its preamble proceeds to heap or
bundle them all together in the following terms : —

" Be it therefore enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and
with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and
Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the
same, that the said recited Acts of the forty-eighth year of the reign of King
George the Third, of the fifth year of the reign of King George the Fourth,
of the session of Parliament holden in the sixth and seventh years of the
reign of King William the Fourth, of the first year of Her present Majesty's
reign, and of the sessions of Parliament holden respectively in the first and

The Police Statutes — Preamble. 85

second, second and third, and third and fourth years of Her present
Majesty's reign, and this Act, shall be construed together as one Act ; and
that all and every the enactments and provisions therein contained shall
apply and extend to this Act, and to all Convictions, Warrants, Distresses,
Proceedings, and Things, made, taken, or done in execution of this Act,
as fully to all intents and purposes as if the same were herein repeated and
re-enacted, save in so far as such enactments and provisions are incon-
sistent with or contrary to this Act, or as such enactments or provisions may
be altered by this Act, or other enactments or provisions made in lieu
thereo£"

Mr. Cox commented on this farrago by observing that
" its framer would have an easy death, for that if he was
affected with ague, or even if he were hanged, he would be
too lazy to shake in the former or to kick in the latter
case/' In the blank leaf of a bound copy of the Police
statutes, the following was written in reference to the pre-
ceding quotation : —

" The preamble saith the forty-eighth of George the Third is one, that
must be tack'd to another Act, the fifth of George his son. Then whilst
you're at it, just take a statute, the sixth and seventh session, of him who
did own the British throne, the next in due progression. Then the first
of the reign of our present Queen, and then the first and second ; the next
that occurred was the second and third, then the third and fourth is
reckoned. All these in fact, to the present Act, you must fasten tight as
leather. There may be flaws in many a clause, but, take them all together,
it must be your plan, as well as you can, to deal with your numerous
doubts, or be the employer of some shrewd lawyer, to shew you their ins
and outs. If your puzzled brain, you rack in vain, until you fume and
curse ; if they bother you, why they 've bothered me too, so take them
for better, for worse."

There were, and I suppose still are, many complaints
preferred before divisional magistrates, at the Police Courts,
in reference to claims on Benefit or Friendly Societies,
for allowances in cases of sickness, or for money payable
to members or their representatives, under family visita-
tions. Whenever any summonses on such subjects were

86 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

disposed of by me, I called for the transaction and ac-
count-books, and required them to be produced at the
commencement of the proceedings. On one occasion a
quire of copy paper, stitched in a cover of brown, in a
condition absolutely dirty, and in which the entries were
irregularly scrawled, was handed up to me. I strongly
censured such a slovenly mode of recording their proceed-
ings as very discreditable. On hearing the complainant,
I considered that the case was very well suited for an
arbitration, and the parties offered no objection to have
it so disposed of; but they disagreed on each of the other
societies which were suggested for the purpose of deciding
it. However, one of the persons concerned said, that
he would be satisfied to leave the matter entirely to Paddy
Flannery, whom he saw present, and whom he considered
"the most knowledgable man in all Dublin on such a
business." The others concurred, and I directed Mr. Cox
to indorse on the copy of the summons a reference by
me, with the consent of the parties, of all matters in dis-
pute between them to the aforesaid Flannery. I proceeded
with some other business ; and the indorsement having
been made, I signed it without any hesitation, and it was
given to the late Mr. Charles Fitzgerald, who was con-
cerned in the case, but in whose honor and probity all
parties who knew him fully confided. In a day or two
after, I was talking to him, during a few minutes of leisure,
and he showed me the indorsement which I had signed.
It was as follows : —

" This Benefit Society, which keeps no proper book, evinces impropriety
deserving a rebuke. As further litigation on each part they decline, no
other observation is requisite on mine. 'Tis left to Patrick Flannery to
judge of every fact, and in whatever manner he thinks right they're bound
to act. My order I reserve until he makes out his award, and when he
does, at once I will the rule of Court record. "

Police Recruits — A Born Soldier. 87

Dr. Ireland was, for many years, the principal surgeon
of the Dublin Metropolitan Police. He had to inspect
the recruits, and satisfy himself of their size, health,
mental capacity, and bodily strength being suitable to
the service in which they proposed to engage. Cox said
that the Dublin Police was, in one respect, very like to
Howth Harbor, as no one could get into either without
passing " Ireland's Eye." When the railway was being
made from Dublin to Wicklow, he said that its course
through the County of Dublin was extremely inharmo-
nious, for it went first to a Dun-drum, proceeded to a
SiiU-organ, and then attained to a Bray.

Mr. Cox came into the Police Court one morning after
the custody cases had been disposed of. He brought

forward an elderly female whom he stated to be desirous

>

of making a statutable declaration before me, and which
she had brought already drawn. There was a peculiar ex-
pression in his countenance as he suggested that I might,
perhaps, be pleased to peruse the document previous to its
official reception. It was made under circumstances which
I shall briefly mention. A young man named Dempsey
thought fit to embrace a military life, and enlisted in the
97th Regiment. He did not give his paternal name, but
adopted the maiden name of his mother, and was enrolled
as Peter Moran. He served for some years in India, but
died there from the effects of sun-stroke. Some arrears
of pay and a share of prize-money were due at the time
of his decease ; and his widowed mother applied, as next
of kin, to obtain the amount. The War-Office authorities
did not understand how Peter Moran came to be the son
of Anne Dempsey. The declaration to which Cox slyly
drew my attention was intended to afford an explanation
of the grounds on which the claim was preferred, and it,

88 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

moreover, afforded an instance of a martial disposition being
as early in its inception as the birth-acquired tendency
of poetic inspiration. The declaration was as follows : —

" Police District of Dublin ) I, Bridget Carey, of Fade Street, in the
Metropolis, to wit, ( City of Dublin, widow, do hereby solemnly

declare that I am a midwife, and have been such for the last thirty-five
years ; and I further declare that about twenty-seven years ago, I attended
Anne Dempsey who was then living in Little Longford Street, in her con-
finement, and, with God's assistance, I then and there safely delivered her
of the soldier in dispute; and I make this declaration for the information
of the Secretary-at-war, and the other authorities of the War Office, &c."

Cox remarked, with an assumption of gravity which
was irresistibly comic, " I suppose, your worship, that it
is not necessary to describe the uniform or accoutrements
in which ' the soldier* made his natal appearance." The
document was retained by me, and another was substituted,
in which the deceased was not accorded the distinction of
having been " born a soldier/*

CHAPTER X.

MENDICANCY.

I think that some useful information may be blended
with amusement by offering to my readers a few anecdotes
in reference to mendicancy and the laws intended for its
repression. Two persons were charged before me at the
Head Police Office, in 1843, w*tn begging in the public
streets. One was detected in Castle Street and the other
in Palace Street. They were male and female, and stated
themselves to be brother and sister. Neither denied the
commission of the offence. Having been searched at the
station-house, the man was found to have ^300 in his pos-
session, and the woman had £ 1 80. I do not recollect what
names they gave, but I am sure they were not the real ones.
They were committed, each for a calendar month, with hard
labor ; but during the period of their imprisonment their
subsistence was charged on the rates of the city of Dublin,
and the ^480 were returned to them at their discharge.
I have been informed that the law of Scotland authorises
the support of vagrants, when committed to gaol, to be
defrayed from money found in their possession. If such
be the case, I would suggest to our Irish Members to
have the law of this country, in cases of vagrancy, assimi-
lated to the Scotch system as quickly as possible.

Very soon after the occurrence which I have mentioned,
a gentleman who resided at Kingstown, arrived there by

go Gleanings and Reminiscences.

train between seven and eight o'clock, p.m. He was
walking up the Forty-foot Road, when he was accosted
by a man of humble but decent appearance, who kept by
his side whilst addressing him. " I came out, sir," said
this individual, " early in the day, on an appointment with
Mr. Herbert, of Tivoli Terrace, as he promised to let me
have a few pounds that he owes me ; but I found that he
had to start suddenly for Bray on some particular busi-
ness, and he left word for me that he would be back about
ten o'clock, so I have to wait : and I declare, sir, that I
had only enough when I left home to get a return ticket,
and I have not had a bit to eat since morning. Might
I ask you for as much as would get me a crust of bread
and a mug of milk." On reaching George's Street, the
gentleman handed him a sixpence, and received the ex-
pression of an earnest prayer for his earthly prosperity and
eternal happiness. On the following evening, the gentle-
man arrived at the same time, proceeded up the same road,
and not being recognized, was accosted by the same per-
son, who told the same tale, concluding with a wish for
" the crust and mug of milk." A constable happened to
be in view, and the hungry applicant was arrested and
charged as a vagrant beggar. He had two ten-pound
notes and three of five pounds, with eighteen shillings in
silver and copper coin. The vagrant stated his name to
be Richard Bryan, and a most extraordinary document
was found on him. It was soiled and partly torn, but it
was signed, " Your loving brother, John Bryan/' was dated,
"Bonis, August 30, 1843," anc* contained a suggestion
which was fully acted on, and which I could not allow to
escape my recollection. Here it is : —

" We have got in the barley all right, and we are going at the oats
to-morrow. I had to lend the horses to-day to Mr. Kixmnis. I couldn't

Mendicancy. 91

refuse, for you know he is a good warrant to obleege us when we want a
turn. Nolan is bothering about the rent. He is very cross. You must
see and make it out for him, if you were even to beg for it"

One month's imprisonment, with hard labour, provided
the mendicant with some "crusts" and "mugs of milk "
at the cost of the county. The delinquent did not, I be-
lieve, resume his solicitations within our district. The
office sergeant who escorted him, with some other pri-
soners, to Kilmainham, told the clerk at Kingstown on
the following morning, that Mr. Bryan stigmatized my
decision as "most uncharitable and disgusting."

I did not find medicancy so persistent in any part of
the police district as in Kingstown. If a vagrant was
brought up and punished for begging in Rathmines or the
Pembroke township, or if the detection occurred at Inchi-
core, or in the most respectable parts of the city, it was
not at all probable that the beggar would be soon found
again in the same locality. The Kingstown vagrants, as
soon as they were discharged from Kilmainham, generally
started off to return and resume their solicitations at the
piers and jetty, or about the streets and terraces, which
were more devoted to healthful recreation than to profes-
sional or commercial affairs. I have no doubt that mendi-
cants from distant places receive more at Kingstown or
Bray, from visitors whom they recognize, or who recognize
them, than would be given to them if both parties were at
home. A lady with whom I was personally acquainted,
and whose family residence was near Carlow, has several
times, in my presence, given sixpences to beggars who
belonged to her own neighbourhood, and I have heard
her tell them that Kingstown was a better and more
lucky place for them than ever they would find Carlow to
be. I shall close my observations on street begging, by

92 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

deliberately stating from my personal and official experi-
ence, that not one penny can be given to any mendicant on
our thoroughfares in real, efficient, and merited charity. I
would now warn my readers against another kind of beg-
ging, which avails itself of very systematic and elaborate
means, and sometimes displays considerable educational
acquirements, namely, written applications to charitable
individuals to alleviate dire distress or succour unmerited
misfortune. I know that this system is extensively prac-
tised in London, and I have heard that it is reviving in
Dublin. I use the term a reviving" because it was com-
pletely crushed here in 1844 by the intelligence and activity
of the detective division. At that time it was discovered
that a confederacy of impostors had been formed in
Bridgefoot Street, and that the members of this nefarious
association were levying contributions on all in whose dis-
positions they had ascertained charity and credulity to be
united. Forty-one of them were arrested and brought
before me, and I committed them for trial on charges of
" conspiring to defraud, obtaining money under false pre-
tences, and forgery at common law/' They were, however,
consigned to Newgate, exactly at the time when the State
prosecutions against O'Connell had been commenced ;
and it was the received opinion in police quarters that they
owed their escape — for they were not prosecuted — to a
feeling on the part of the attorney-general of that period,
that all his attention was demanded in bringing down the
eagle, and that none of his energies could be spared to
scatter a flock of kites. But they were not relinquished
by the detectives, and were brought in detail under the
castigation of the law until the confederacy was broken
up. Their begging letters and petitions were addressed
to all whom they considered likely to yield the slightest

Mendicancy. 93

attention to their requests. These productions were termed
in their slang " Slums." One impostor represented that
she was a clergyman's widow, with four female children,
the eldest only eleven years of age ; that her pious, exem-
plary, and most affectionate partner had died of malignant
fever, contracted whilst whispering the words of Christian
consolation to the departing sinner, and imparting the
joyful assurance, that the life flickering away, the socket
glimmer of a mere earthly light, would be rekindled in a
lamp of everlasting duration and unvarying brilliancy.
That resigned to her suffering, and adoring the hand from
which she had experienced chastening, she was not for-
bidden to hope that the blessed spirit of charity would be
manifested in her relief, and in shielding her helpless, art-
less babes from the privations of distress in their infancy,
and from the still more fearful danger of being, in advanced
youth, exposed to the snares of sin and its depraving con-
sequences. A contribution, however small, addressed to

Mrs. , at No. — Bridgefoot Street, Dublin, would, it

was respectfully hoped, be accorded by Lord , or Mr.

or Mrs. , whose well-known, though unostentatious

benevolence, must plead the poor widow's apology for such
an intrusion. Another was an unfortunate man, who for
many years had earned a respectable livelihood as a commer-
cial agent, and supported a numerous and interesting family
by his industry and intelligence, but having unfortunately
been in the County of Tipperary, when a contested election
was in progress, he unguardedly expressed a wish for the
success of the Conservative candidate, and although not a
voter, he was set upon by a horde of savage ruffians, and
beaten so as to produce paralysis of his lower extremities,
and that now nothing remained for him but to entreat the

94 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

humane consideration of one who could not, if the public
testimony of his, or her generous disposition, was to be
credited, refuse to sympathize with a parent whose help-
lessness compelled him to witness, with unavailing anguish,
the poignant miseries of the offspring he had hoped, by
his honest exertions, to have supported and reared, without
submitting to the galling necessity of soliciting that aid
which nothing but the most absolute destitution could
reconcile him to implore. A military lady announced
herself as the widow of color-sergeant Robert Maffett,
who having served faithfully for twenty-three years, the
four last having been in India, had been severely wounded
in a decisive battle in Scinde, and when invalided and pen-
sioned, was unfortunately drowned at Blackwall, in con-
sequence of the boat which was conveying him ashore
being accidentally upset. That she and her eight poor
orphans had no resource on reaching her native city, where
she found that all her relations had died or emigrated, and
where she was friendless and alone, but to throw herself
upon the charitable feelings of one whose character em-
boldened her to hope that the humble appeal of the
soldier's widow, for herself and her poor orphans, would
not be unavailing. These and a thousand other slums were
manufactured in Bridgefoot Street, alias Dirty Lane, not
an unsuitable name for the locale of such proceedings, and
they were invariably accompanied by lists of subscriptions,
and magisterial or municipal attestations, admirably got
up in the first style of forgery. In the first case to which
I have adverted, the " hapless widow " succeeded in getting
five pounds from the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland,
(Pennefather.) In the instance of the " military widow,**
Lady Blakeney was lightened of three pounds. Another

Mendicancy. 95

shim was circulated by a scoundrel who represented him-
self to be the son of a gentleman in the south of Ireland,
of an old family, and of the pristine faith ; that he had
been educated at Louvain, had an ardent wish to become
a Catholic clergyman, and that one of the most dis-
tinguished dignitaries of that church was inclined to
ordain him, but his father had died in debt, without
leaving him the means of providing even the most humble
outfit for such a vocation. One of his missives produced
the effect of relieving an alderman's lady of five pounds
sterling, which the excellent and worthy matron piously
suggested might be useful in providing the embryo priest
with vestments.

This confederacy was not confined to Dublin. Its
branches extended through Leinster, Connaught, Munster,
and in almost even7 important town in England its con-
nections were established. It is, however, very curious
that [the Scots and our Northern countrymen were left
comparatively free from its attacks. Why ? Is it because
the rascally crew conceived the natives of Scotland and
Ulster to be more cautious or less benevolent than their
respective Southern neighbours? The reader may judge
for himself; but swindlers are not, in general, very wrong
in their estimate of character or disposition.

The head-quarters of the society were in an obscure
country town in an inland county of Ireland, and there
the materiel of the association was seized, according to my
recollection, in April, 1844. There was found at the
source of their system, a chest of very elegant manufacture,
and containing, in compartments, admirably executed
counterfeits of the public seals of Cork, Waterford,
Limerick, Sligo, Drogheda, Dublin, Liverpool, Bristol,

96 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

Hamburg, Havre, and New York. These were used to
seal forged certificates and attestations, which were trans-
mitted for use to more populous places; but the seals
were cunningly kept in a remote, and for a long time, an
unsuspected locality.

CHAPTER XI.

CARRIAGE COURT CASES DUBLIN CARMEN.

When I assumed, by an arrangement with my colleagues,
the regulation of the public vehicles, and the disposal of
complaints in the Carriage Court at the Head Office, I
announced my inflexible determination to cancel the licence
of any driver who was proved to have been drunk whilst
in charge of his vehicle on the public thoroughfare. I
required the fullest proof of the offence, to which I
awarded the highest punishment. I am happy to say that
such cases were by no means frequent, but there were
some, and they generally occurred at funerals. A Rath-
farnham carman was summoned before me and was con-
victed, not only on the clearest evidence, but by his own
admission. He was about my own age, and I remembered
that when I was about eighteen years old, I was one day
swimming in a quarry-hole at Kimmage, where the water
was at least twenty feet deep, and was suddenly seized
with very severe cramps in my left leg. I kept myself
afloat and shouted for help, but I was unable to make for
the bank, when a young fellow who had been swimming,
and was dressing himself, hastily threw off his clothes,
plunged into the water and pushed me before him to the
side of the quarry. He saved my life, and I now beheld
him in the person of the convicted carman. I related

H

98 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

the circumstance from the magisterial bench, and then
cancelled his licence, and remarked to those who were
assembled, that when I treated the preserver of my life so
strictly, others could not expect the slightest lenity at my
hands if they transgressed in the same way. The poor
fellow left the court in great dejection, and when my duties
for the day were over, I dropped in to my friend Colonel
Browne, the Commissioner of Police, and mentioned the
circumstance to him. He said, " You cancelled his licence,
but I can give him a new one, and he shall get it to-mor-
row." The licence was accordingly renewed without causing
me the slightest dissatisfaction.

Most of my readers are aware that the Richmond
Bridewell, which is now the common gaol of the City of
Dublin, is situated near Harold's Cross; and that on its
front is inscribed, " Cease to do evil. Learn to do well.**
A carman named Doyle, who lived at Blackrock, was
summoned before me on charges of violent conduct,
abusive language, and extortion. He was a man of very
good character, and the cohiplainant was a person of the
worst reputation, who had been convicted of several
misdemeanors of a very disgraceful nature. Frauds and
falsehoods were attributed to him as habitual and inveterate
practices. He was sworn, and then he described Doyle
as having been most abusive and insulting in his language,
as having threatened to kick him unless he paid much
more than the rightful fare, and as having extorted an extra
shilling by such means. The defendant denied the charges
totally, and declared that the accusation was false and
malicious. He then asked me to have tnspector O'Connor
and Sergeant Power called and examined as to the com-
plainant's character, and whether he was deserving of being
believed on his oath. From my own personal knowledge

Carriage Court Cases. gg

of the complainant's reputation, I willingly acceded to the
demand, and desired that the required witnesses should
be called from the upper court, where they were both
attending. Whilst we were waiting their appearance,
Doyle made a speech \ it was very brief, and I took it down
verbatim ; he said : —

" Your worship, if I get any punishment on this man's
oath, it will be a wrong judgment. The Recorder knows
him well, and he would'nt sintence a flea to be kilt for
back-biting upon his evidence. He has took out all his
degrees in the Harold's Cross college ; and if, instead of
sending me to the Cease to do evil hotel, you had himself
brought there, the door would open for him of its own
accord, for there is not a gaol in Ireland that would refuse
him. He swore hard against me, but thanks be to God,
he did not swear that I was an honest man, for there is
nobody whose character could stand under the weight of
his commendation."

On the evidence of O'Connor and Power, I dismissed
the charge, and subsequently spoke of the case, and re-
peated Doyle's speech, in festive society. When Boucicault
produced his interesting Irish drama of Arra-na-pogue
at the Theatre Royal, I was one of his gratified audience,
and was greatly surprized at hearing the speech which had
been originally delivered before me in the Carriage Court
by the Blackrock carman, addressed to the court-martial
by Shawn-na-poste, to induce a disbelief of the informer
by whom he was accused. I subsequently ascertained
that it had been given to Boucicault by one who could
fully appreciate its originality and strength, my gifted
friend, Dr. Tisdall.

The Dublin carmen are far from being faultless, but, as
a class, I found them generally very honest. Whilst I

1 W rx v | w

ioo Gleanings and Reminiscences.

discharged the carriage business, I knew instances of
considerable sums of money and articles of value, which
had been left in their vehicles, being brought in and deli-
vered up to the police. I do not know how such property,
if unclaimed, is now disposed of; but in my time, I inva-
riably, after the expiration of twelve months, had it deli-
vered, subject to charges for advertising, &c, to the person
who brought it. I may mention one very extraordinary
incident. Before the opening of the Great Southern and
Western Railway, the Grand Canal Company ran passen-
ger boats to the towns of Athy and Ballinasloe. A boat
for the latter place left Portobello each day at two o'clock.
A Rath mines man, who was owner and driver of a covered
car, was returning home one morning about n o'clock,
when he was hailed, in Dame Street, by a respectably
dressed man, who engaged him to drive about town, and
to be paid by the hour. The hirer stopped at several
establishments and bought parcels of woollen, linen, plaid,
and cotton goods, as also a hat and a pair of boots, for
all of which he paid in cash. There was merely room for
the hirer in the vehicle along with his ample purchases.
Finally, he directed the driver to go to Portobello, adding
that he intended to leave town by the passage-boat at two
o'clock. When the car arrived at the end of Lennox
Street, the driver was ordered to stop. The hirer alighted
and told the driver to go round by the front of the hotel
and wait for him at the boat. The order was obeyed, and
the carman waited until the boat started, but the hirer did
not appear. The driver apprized the police of the circum-
stance, and, at their suggestion, he attended the two boats
which left on the following day, but no one came to claim
the goods. They were brought to the police stores and
advertised, the hirer was described and sought for in

Dublin Carmen. 101

various hotels and lodging-houses, but without any result.
It was ascertained at the establishments where the parcels
were purchased that they cost twenty-seven pounds, and
the carman ultimately got them on paying some small
charges. He had not been paid his fare, nevertheless he
was not dissatisfied. A rare case amongst his fraternity.
When it was proposed to have a hackney fare for six-
pence, " for a drive with not more than two passengers,
direct, and without any delay on the part of the hirer, from
any place within the municipal boundary to any other
place within the same," I refused to sanction such a regu-
lation. I considered that it would, in many instances, be
a most inadequate payment for the employment of a
vehicle. I suggested that the fifteen municipal wards
should form three districts of five wards each, and desig-
nated, Southern, Middle, Northern. I proposed that a
drive entirely in one of those districts should be a sixpenny
fare, that from South or North to Middle, or vice versa,
should be eightpence, and that North to South, or vice
versa, should be tenpence. My suggestions were not even
considered, for the carmen published advertisements that
they were desirous of giving cheap locomotion to the
people of Dublin, but that the magistrate refused to allow
them to take small fares. I sent for the " runners," as
the attendants on the stands were termed, and told them
that I should no longer object to the sixpenny fare which
was proposed. I added that it was the carmen's own act,
and, to use a homely phrase, " as they had made the bed,
nothing remained for me but to compel them to lie in it."
The by-law was no sooner in operation than numerous
cases of its violation were brought before me. I fined
each, if I thought it fully proved, in the maximum penalty
of two pounds. One delinquent was extremely urgent to

102 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

have a smaller penalty inflicted. I recognized him as
having been present when I used the phrase which I have
quoted, and reminded him that he had been fully warned.
He replied, "Yes, yer worship, we did make the bed,
and you promised to make us lie in it, but we never thought
that it would be so heavily quilted"

I held that any stop or deviation from the direct line
between two places, at the hirer's instance, voided the
sixpenny contract, and entitled the driver to additional
remuneration. I often availed myself of a sixpenny lift,
and was once taking one in which I passed the Shelbourne
Hotel, in front of which there was a " hazard," or branch
stand for five or six cars or cabs. It was considered very
objectionable for a disengaged vehicle to stop alongside a
hazard and thu£ obstruct the carriage way. I observed a
jarvey committing this offence, and desired my driver to
" hold a moment/' I said to the offender, "If a constable
takes your number for obstructing, you will not escape for
less than ten shillings." I then bid my man to go on.
He replied, " Yes, yer worship, and it would serve that
fellow right to have him punished, for he is after putting
your worship in for another sixpence to me."

Two of my daughters had gone to make some purchases
at the establishment of Messrs. Todd and Burns, in Mary
Street. They were engaged to spend the afternoon at a
house in Leinster Street Rain was falling, and the elder
beckoned to the driver of a covered car who happened to
be passing. They got into it, and desired him to go to
No. 14 Leinster Street. When they arrived, the elder let
her sister pass before her into the house, and then she
offered a sixpence to the carman. He declined to take it,
and said that she should give " the father or mother of
that." She asked how much did he demand? and the

Dublin Carmen. 103

reply was " a shilling at least." She then said that she
would get half-a-crown changed in the house, and bring
him a shilling, but she added " that she would speak to
papa about it." " Musha, who is papa ? " said he. " Mr.
Porter/' was the reply. She went in, got the change, and
came back with the shilling, but he was gone. He
preferred giving her a gratuitous drive to having my
opinion elicited in reference to the transaction.

A cavalry regiment, if I recollect rightly it was the
" Scots Greys/' occupied the barracks at Island Bridge in
1854. One day an outside jaunting-car was waiting in
the barrack-yard, and the driver was standing on the step.

He was a few yards from the quarters of a Captain B ,

who was reputed to have a private income of ^15,000 per
annum. The officer was amusing himself with a little
gun, which discharged peas and leaden pellets by deto-
nating caps with greater force than the captain was aware
of. He shot at the carman, and the pellet passed through
his overcoat and reached his back, giving him a smart
blow, but without penetrating the skin. The driver was
looking round, and expressing his displeasure, when he
received a second shot which, striking the calf of his leg,
lodged in the flesh. He instantly whipped his horse,
drove rapidly away, and betook himself to the Meath
Hospital, where the shot was extracted. He summoned
the officer before me, and when the facts were stated, I
expressed an opinion that the act was most unjustifiable,
that a wanton and very severe assault had been committed,
but that 1 thought it originated more in a spirit of foolish
fun than in any wish to injure the complainant, and as it
was a misdemeanor, the parties might come to an under-
standing, which would render further proceedings unne-
cessary.

I

104 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

The captain accosted the carman — " Will you take one
hundred pounds }"

" Of coorse, I will, yer honor, and I'll never say another
word, even if you war to shoot me agin/'

Two fifty-pound notes were handed to the delighted
complainant, who then said to me —

"The business is settled, yer worship, and I can only
say that whin I was hit, although it gave me a great start,
I felt satisfied it was a rale gintleman that shot me."

I advised the captain to discontinue the sport of jarvey-
shooting. Cox complimented him on his generosity,
adding that he ought to have got a large covey of such
game for the price he paid. I regret to add that the money
did not improve its recipient. He lapsed into habits of
idleness and drunkenness, lost his licence through mis-
conduct, and was reduced to complete destitution.

A gentleman, who lived in Baggot Street, came to
Exchange Court one morning for the purpose of reporting
that his coach-house had been entered, as he believed, by
means of false keys, and that a set of cushions, adapted
to an outside jaunting-car, had been abstracted. He de-
scribed them as white cord material with green borders
and seams. A detective mentioned that he had seen
cushions of the description on a car which had been
brought for inspection, and the licence of which had been
suspended on account of its unseemly condition. The
car was then in Dame Street, and a further enquiry even-
tuated in the discovery on it of the articles which had been
supposed to have been abstracted. The owner of the car
was a brother of the gentleman's servant who had lent his
master's cushions to pass the inspection. The car licence
was cancelled ; but I believe that similar tricks were fre-
quently played on similar occasions.

#

Dublin Carmen. 105

For upwards of ten years I have been estranged from
the Dublin Police Courts. 1 cannot speak as to the habits
and characteristics of the carmen of the present time. I
have already stated that, according to my experience and
recollection, they were honest and sober. I can add that
I knew many instances in which members of their class
manifested generosity, kindness, and courage. A man
belonging to New Street stand went to the fair of St.
Doolagh's, and expended his savings in the purchase of a
fine-looking horse that appeared in a sound condition, but
on whose leg there was a slight scar. In about a week
after the fair, the beast exhibited some very extraordinary
symptoms, and at last became most furious and unruly.
He dashed into a shop window, and injured himself so
much as to make it necessary to kill it. It was the
opinion of a veterinary practitioner that he had been bitten
by some rabid animal, and had taken hydrophobia. The
other carmen promptly subscribed a sum sufficient to
defray the damage done to the shop, and to procure ano-
ther horse for the man who vainly sought to ascertain the
former owner of the one that he bought at St. Doolagh's.
1 am aware that previous to the establishment »of the fire
brigade in Dublin, the drivers on a car-stand would leave
two or three of their number to mind their horses and
vehicles, and apply themselves to work the engines and
extinguish fires in their vicinity. Many acts of heroism
on the part of carmen have occurred on our quays and at
Kingstown, in saving, at their own imminent risk, persons
in danger of drowning.

Having noticed some very good qualities, I must remark
on the scarcity amongst them, according to my experience,
of veracity. When a carman was summoned by a con-
stable be almost invariably met the accusation by a direct

106 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

contradiction. If called on to answer for being shabbily
dressed or dirty in his apparel, he bought or borrowed a
good suit of clothes, shaved, put on a clean shirt, and
stated boldly to me that he was just in the same attire
when the policeman " wrote him." If the summons was
for being absent from his beast and vehicle, he insisted
that he was holding "a lock of hay" to his horse all the
time. If the complaint was for furious driving, the
defence was that " the baste was dead lame, that it was
just after taking up a nail, and was on three legs when he
was ' wrote.' " If it was alleged that the horse was in a
wretched condition, and unfit to ply for public accommo-
dation, he expressed his surprise that any fault should be
found with a horse that could " rowl " four to the Curragh
and back without " turning a hair." Whatever statement
was made for the defence, it evinced imaginative power,
for the plain, dull truth was hardly ever permitted the
slightest admixture in the excuse offered. Mr. Hughes,
whom I have mentioned in some earlier pages, was in the
carriage-court one day, on an occasion when an old man
named Pat Markey, formerly belonging to the Baggot
Street stand, made a statement utterly at variance with all
probability, and directly opposed to the evidence adduced
against him : however, on the prosecutor's own showing
the case was dismissed, as the charge was not legally sus-
tained. On leaving the court, Hughes asked Pat why he
did not tell the truth at first, as it would have been better
for him ; upon which the other exclaimed — " Musha, cock
him up with the truth! that's more than ever I tow Id a
magistrate yit." A delinquent seldom mentioned the
offence for which he was punished ; he generally substi-
tuted for it the inducement which led to its commission.
If he went into a tobacconist's, and while he made his

Dublin Carmen. 107

purchase, his horse moved on, and was stopped by a con-
stable, who summoned the driver, the latter when asked
what he was fined for would reply, " for taking a blast of
the pipe." If, on a Saturday evening, he betook himself
to a barber's shop to have the week's growth taken off his
chin, and incurred a penalty for being absent from his
vehicle, he said, " the polis wrote him" for getting himself
shaved. And on Sunday morning, if a devotional feeling
prompted him to get " a mouthful of prayers," whilst his
beast remained, without any person to mind ft, upon the
public thoroughfare, he expressed his indignation at a con-
sequent fine " for going to Mass."

I found it impossible to adapt the law, as it existed in
my time, so as effectually to compel the carmen to keep
themselves in cleanly, respectable attire, or their vehicles
in proper order. When summoned and fined, their com-
ments evinced the inutility of the punishment. I have
said to one, " Your car has been proved to be in a most
disgraceful state, and I shall fine you ten shillings." The
reply has been, " I thank yer worship, shure that fine will
help me to mend it." I have told another that I would
suspend his licence for a month ; but this only elicited a
request for an order to admit him and his family to the
poorhouse during the suspension. If the complaints pre-
ferred by the police did not effect much good, those brought
forward by private individuals were, in their general ten-
dency, and as a class of cases, decidedly injurious. When
extortion, violence, insolence, or an infraction of duty pro-
voked an aggrieved person to ' summon, the usual course
was for the delinquent to send his wife to the com-
plainant's residence, or sometimes to borrow a wife, if he
had not one of his own, to beg him off. In the case of
a young lad being the offender, the intercession was

108 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

managed by his mother, whether the maternity was real or
pretended. The afflicted female beset the door, and applied
to all who passed in or out " to save her and her childher,
or her poor gorsoon, from the waves of the world," that
Mr. Porter was a "rale Turk," and if the poor fellow was
brought before him, he would be destroyed "out of a
face." A riddance of such importunities formed no slight
inducement to forego the prosecution, and consequently
the majority of such cases were dismissed for the non-
appearance of the complainant ; but sometimes the fellow
who had been "begged off" came forward, stated that he
was ready to answer the summons, and insisted on his
loss of time being recompensed by costs. I must admit
that I always complied with such applications, and I have
enjoyed frequently the vain remonstrances of the forgiving
party, who, for his mistaken and expensive lenity, acquired
nothing but the wholesome warning not to summon a
Dublin driver without appearing to prosecute.

Although the carmen were rather fond of getting more
than their fare, they became the dupes and victims of dis-
honest and tricky employers, and, to use their own term,
were " sconced " much more frequently than was generally
supposed. The Four Courts constituted, m my time, the
frequent scene of such rascality. There was seldom a
day in Term that some poor carman was not left "without
his costs" by a plausible fellow, who alighting at one
door, and passing through the hall, went out at another,
leaving the driver with the assurance, that " he would be
back in a minute," to find that he had been employed, for
perhaps an hour or two previously, by a heartless black-
guard, who desired no better fun than "sconcing" him,
I believe that a regulation has been since adopted which
authorises a driver engaged by time to require payment in
advance. I consider it a very great improvement.

CHAPTER XII

A GRATUITOUS JAUNT THE PORTUGUESE POSTIL-
LION— MISCELLANEOUS SUMMONSES.

A young woman who was servant in a house in Harcourt
Street in which two students resided, had an altercation
with one of them, which eventuated in a summons and a
cross-summons before me. It appeared that the young
man had imputed dishonesty to her, and she had been
very indignant and abusive towards her accuser. He
called his fellow-student as a witness, to prove that the
girl threw a bottle at him, and that she freely used the
terms of swindler, blackguard, &c. The charge of dis-
honesty was unfounded, and the encounter between the
parties terminated without any personal injury to either,
but the damsel cross-examined the witness in reference to
a transaction, and elicited a mode of procuring a jaunt
across the city, which I hope that I shall not lessen the
reader's interest in my observations and reminiscences of
the Dublin carmen by briefly detailing. The woman
acquired the knowledge of it by having overheard a con-
versation between the young men.

They had been invited to an early evening party at
Summer Hill. They were not inclined to walk such a
distance, and neither of them found it convenient to pay

4-

no Gleanings and Reminiscences.

for a vehicle. At last the one who subsequently com-
plained of being termed a swindler and blackguard said
that he would get a covered car without payment. Accord-
ingly, having walked to the nearest " hazard/' he desired
his comrade to get into a car, and also seated himself, he
then directed the driver to proceed " to Santry." " San-
try!" exclaimed the astonished jarvey \ " is it joking you

are ? D 1 an inch I'll go to Santry to-night. Get

out of my car if you plaze, the baste is tired, and I wont
go." " My good fellow/' was the answer, " I shall not
get out, and you may as well get on at once." "By gorra,
if you don't get out, Til pull you out/' said the carman.
" If you lay a finger on me/' answered the occupant, " I
will resist you as well as I can, and I shall prosecute you
for an assault." It was a bad business. The carman
changed his tactics. "Why, yer honor," he mildly
urged, " it is an unrasonable thing to ax a man to go to
such a place even in the day time, for there's nethin but
murdher and robbery on that bloody road, an' if I do go,
we'll be all kilt, and you'll be robbed into the bargain ;
shure you haven't right sinse to think of such a jaunt."
" My friend/' said the fare, " there may be something in
what you say, but I shall call at a house on Summer Hill
and get firearms for myself and my companion, and with
two case of pistols I fear no robbers." The carman
grumbled, but he had a sturdy customer, so he mounted
his seat and drove on. When they came to Summer Hill
he was desired to pull up, and the two sparks alighted,
assuring him that they would immediately procure the
arms and resume their journey. As soon as they were
inside the hall-door, the jarvey plied his whip, and rattled
off as fast as he could, congratulating himself that he had
escaped a drive to Santry, and leaving the two scamps to

The Portuguese Postillion. 1 1 1

enjoy the joke of having got a gratuitous jaunt from Har-
court Street to Summer Hill.

There was at the time of my appointment to the magis-
tracy, a car proprietor in Dublin, whose name was Bittner.
His father had been a sergeant in the King's German
Legion, had been invalided, and died in Dublin about the
year 1810, leaving one son, who was then sixteen years of
age. He was tolerably educated, intelligent, cleanly,
active, and well-looking. A gentleman who was in
delicate health, engaged the lad as his personal attendant,
and was soon after advised by his physicians to betake
himself to the south of Europe, in the hope of checking
the progress of pulmonary disease. Lisbon was the only
available place to the invalid, and he proceeded there,
along with his youthful servant. He lived in Portugal
for nine or ten years, and was so well satisfied with the
care and attention of Bittner that he left him a legacy of
JP250. The gentleman's body was directed by his will to
be interred in Dublin, whither it "was conveyed by the
faithful domestic. Bittner did not squander his money,
neither did he become inactive. He was fond of horses,
and of equestrian exercise, and engaged in the service of
the late Mr. Quin, of Bray ; then the proprietor of an
extensive hotel and first-rate posting establishment. The
romantic scenery of Wicklow was then, as it must ever
be, highly appreciated, and Quin's chaises conveyed many
visitors to the varied and numerous scenes of picturesque
beauty. On one occasion Bittner was directed to bring a
chaise to the door, to take two foreign gentlemen through
the Glen of the Downs, and on to Dunran. The travellers
were quite unacquainted with the English language, and in
the hotel, had recourse to signs and self-attendance as
much as possible. They got into the chaise, having

ii2 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

previously pointed out on a map to Mr. Quin, the route
they wished to take. On arriving at the gate of Dunran,
they made signs to stop the vehicle, and alighted. They
then began to bewail to each other, their ignorance of
English, and their consequent inability to acquire informa-
tion as to the scenery, residences, and other particulars
usually interesting to tourists. They spoke Portuguese,
and Bittner immediately accosted them in their own
language, told them that he would procure a person to
mind his horses, and that he would then take them up to
the " View Rock," and conduct them to each of the many
places worthy of their observation. They expressed the
highest gratification, and availed themselves of his services.
As they proceeded, he told them that Mr. Quin's was the
greatest and best regulated establishment in the world.
That there were postillions kept there who had been
procured from every European nation. The French
postillions had gone with a party of their countrymen to
the " Seven Churches," and two Germans and one
Italian had left, early in the morning, for the Vale of
Ovoca. The Spaniard was gone to Luggelaw. " I,"
said he, " am the Portuguese postillion, I am delighted to
have you, and can take you to all the beautiful places in
Wicklow, but I am afraid that I shall soon have to leave
this employment, for we hardly ever have a Portuguese
gentleman at the hotel, so my chances are very poor."
The travellers, driven by Bittner for about a-week, went
to all the delightful scenery of Wicklow, and when
departing, gave him a couple of sovereigns. In about
three months after, Mr. Quin received a parcel in which
there were two nicely bound volumes, and -a compli-
mentary letter, sent from Lisbon by Don Pedro Cabrito.
With some difficulty he got the letter translated, and also

A few Hyperboles. 113

a couple of pages which had been turned down to attract
his attention. He was then made aware that the Portu-
guese traveller accorded the highest praise to the comfort
and elegance of his establishment, and also to his anxiety
to convenience his foreign visitors, by keeping postillions,
who, in the aggregate, were acquainted with all European
languages. The book also made honorable mention of the
" Portuguese postillion," Bittner. The latter, as , I have
already stated, became a car proprietor. His vehicles
were cleanly and neat, his drivers well conducted, and a
complaint against him was of very rare occurrence. On
one occasion, after I had heard an explanation from his
driver, he asked my leave to say "a word or two," to
which I replied, "With pleasure Mr. Bittner, I shall hear
you, provided you do not speak Portuguese/' " Oh ! your
worship," said he, " I see you know that story. I
suppose Mr. Quin told you." His supposition was
correct.

A FEW HYPERBOLES.

One of the clerks in the police-court of Liverpool got
leave of absence in, as I best remember, 1845. He came
to Dublin with some other young Englishmen for a few
davs of recreation. Curiositv induced him to visit our
police-courts, where our clerks received him with fraternal
courtesy. He told Mr. Cox that he and three others took
an outside car, for a suburban drive. It happened to be
on Corpus Ckristi day, and they were going along Rath-
mines road, just as the religious procession incident to the
festival was moving round the extensive court outside of
the Roman Catholic church there. They directed the
driver to stop, and then stood up on the seats to obtain a
full view. Almost immediately one of them exclaimed,

1

1 14 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

"Well, that beats the devil!" The carman touched his
hat to the exclaimer and replied, " Yes, your honor, that 's
what it 's for." I have heard the late Judge Halliburton
(Sam Slick the clock-maker) say, that he asked a carman
what was the reason for building the Martello towers ? and
that the interrogated party told him, " he supposed it was,
like the round towers, to puzzle posterity."

The Spaniard, who described the rain as so heavy, that
"it wetted him to the marrow," was not so poetical or
forcible in his hyperbole as some of our jarveys have been.
I recollect reading in a little work, published many years
ago, and entitled " Sketches of Ireland," that when a gentle-
man complained of the choking dust of the Rock road,
and declared that he did not think it possible for a road to
be so dusty, his driver remarked, " It's thrue for yer honor;
but this road bates all others for dust, for, by all accounts,
there was dust on this road the day after Noah's flood"
. A lady who resided at Chapel izod was wont to give a car-
man whom she frequently employed a glass of grog, along
with his fare, at the conclusion of each engagement.
However, she became too sparing of the spirits, or too
generous of the water, but the grog eventually became so
weak, that its recipient criticised it, of course with an oath,
by asserting, that "if you threw half-a-pint of whisky-
over Essex Bridge, you might take up as strong grog as
that at the Lighthouse.*'

MISCELLANEOUS SUMMONSES.

According to my recollections of the summons cases of
a police-court, apart from carriage complaints, I feel justi-
fied in remarking on the mild and forgiving tendencies of
the men, and the vindictive rancour of the women of
Dublin. From recent conversations with police function-

Miscellaneous Summonses. 115

aries, I am disposed to believe that the present time differs
in no material respect from the past. The man claims
the protection of the law; u he has no desire to injure the
parties he complains of, but he wants them bound to the
peace, just to keep them quiet." The woman wants " the
coorse of the law/* and to have her adversary chastised
and kept from killing the whole world, like a murdhering
vagabone as she is ; it 's no use in talking but the street
will never be quiet until she gets some little confinement
just to larn her manners." Summonses for abusive lan-
guage, or as the fair complainants term it, " street scandal,"
are, perhaps, the most numerous cases as a class ; and on
the hearing of them, there is frequently elicited an amount
of vituperation beyond anything that Billingsgate could
attempt to supply. In almost every case a total absence
of chastity is imputed as a matter of course; and if a
foreigner would only believe both sides of a police sum-
mons-book, he would be forced to the conclusion that
chastity was a virtue rarely found amongst the lower order
of Dublin females. Yet the very contrary is the fact :
furious in their resentments, uncontrollable in their invec-
tives, and inveterately addicted to assassination of charac-
ter, they are, in general, extremely chaste ; and attest the
value they attach to female virtue by invariably imputing
its absence to their opponents. Sometimes, indeed, a
novel term of reproach arouses volcanic fury, and an erup-
tion of indignation is excited by the most extraordinary
and unmeaning epithet. I cannot forget a fish-vendor
from Patrick Street vociferating to me, that if her enemy
was not sent off to Grangegorman at wanst, her life and
her child's life (for she was enceinte) would be lost. " But
what did she say ?" was my query. " What did she say !
yer worship, what did she say! Why she came down

n6 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

forenenst the whole world at the corner of Plunket Street,
and called me " a bloody ould excommunicated gasometer/'
I may mention that as female invective generally ascribed
incontinency to its opponent, so the male scolds — happily
not very numerous — had their favorite term of reproach ;
and when they wished to destroy a man's reputation, they
designated him — a thief? — no; a robber? — no; a mur-
derer ? — no ; they satiated all their malignity in calling him
" an informer."

Disputes between manufacturers and their artisans or
workmen were very rarely the subject of magisterial inves-
tigation. There was, however, one case disposed of by me
in which a comparison was instituted of a most extraor-
dinary nature. A journeyman summoned an employer
for abruptly dismissing him, without giving him, according
to the usage of the trade, " a week's notice or a week's
wages." I shall not mention the name, residence, or trade
of the defendant; but I must say that his countenance
exhibited the greatest obliquity of vision that I ever
observed in a human face. All the trite phrases com-
monly applied to squints would fail adequately to describe
the tendency of his eyes to avoid seeing the same object at
the same time. He admitted having summarily discharged
the workman, and alleged that the complainant had totally
spoiled an article which he had been directed to make in a
hexagon form, and conformable to a pattern supplied, and
had produced a piece of work in which shape and pro-
portion had been totally disregarded. The complainant
insisted that the work had been properly done, and in
complete conformity with the model, and he asked why
it was not produced, so that I might judge, by viewing it,
whether it deserved to be condemned as crooked and
shapeless. I suggested a postponement of the case, and

Miscellaneous Summonses . 117

the production of the condemned article. The defendant,
who was rather excited, replied, "Your worship, I was
so vexed when it was brought in, that I threw it out of
the window of the finishing room into the yard, and it
was smashed to pieces, but I am ready to swear, in this
or any other court, that it was as crooked as the two eyes
in my head.'9 The laugh in which I indulged, at hearing
this comparison, was lost in the risibility of all present.
I suggested that the parties might come to an understand-
ing, and that the complainant might be afforded another
opportunity of making an article perfectly conformable
to the pattern, and without any resemblance to anything
else. This was agreed to, and they departed reconciled.

CHAPTER XIII.

DOGS — WHIPPING YOUNG THIEVES — GARDEN ROB-
BERS REFORMATORIES — APOLOGIES FOR VIO-
LENCE— TRESPASSERS ON A NUNNERY.

The statute, passed since my retirement, to enforce and
regulate the registration of dogs, has relieved the magis-
trates from having to dispose, in the course of each year,
of some hundreds of summonses against the owners, or
reputed owners of dogs which were found " roaming at
large on the public thoroughfare, without log or muzzle."
In my time, I never found a summons in reference to a
dog, at the instance of a constable, entered indiscriminately
with other complaints. If the first case was a canine one,
I might feel assured that it would be followed by forty or
fifty others of the same description, and that the dogs
would monopolise the day. It appeared to me that the
police were occasionally directed to give special attention,
for two or three days, to the unlogged and unmuzzled
curs, and thus produce what our clerks used to term "a
dog board." The appearance of a male defendant was
extremely rare. The persons complained of were gener-
ally working tradesmen or labourers, who, on receiving a
summons, directed the wife to attend the court, as they
could not afford to lose their time. When a defendant
was called, his female substitute, eager to have the first

tt

Dogs. 1 19

word, answered to 'the man's name; but what she said
referred to the animal. A mere listener might imagine
that the defendants were either guilty of some atrocious
offences, or were subjected, unheard and untried, to a fear-
ful, fatal doom ; for instance —
" Call James Foley ."

€t He's drounded, yer worship, we drounded him ofl
Wood Quay, the very evening that we got the summons,
he was'nt logged or muzzled, but he is dead now, and the
policeman 'ill never see him again."
" You are fined two and sixpence/'

Oh ! yer worship, that's very hard, and he dead."

Call Peter Casey."

He's hung, sir; he was very owld and stupid, and
had'nt a tooth in his head, so we hung him, not to be
bother'd with him any more," &c.

Call Patrick Dempsey."

Plaze yer worship, he's dead, and if the polisman
knew him, he'll know that he's dead. We had him hung
and got him skinned, and I have his skin here to show
you."

Perhaps another case would disclose the appalling fact,
that Denis Reilly was " pisened by a young doctor that
we got to sponge his nose with some Prooshun stuff, and
it kilt him." Such calamities have been averted from the
Foleys, Caseys, Dempseys, and Reillys of the present
time, and the magistrates have been relieved from having
to listen to such murderous details from the lips of the
gentler sex by the magical effect of canine registration.

WHIPPING YOUNG THIEVES.

In a few years after my appointment, a statute passed
authorising the infliction of corporal punishment on boys

«

120 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

convicted of thieving. The Act empowered us to order the
offender to be flogged, if we were of opinion that his age
did not exceed fourteen years. There was a lad named
Lowry, who was an inveterate thief, and who received five
or six castigations by my directions. The instrument
employed was a birch rod, with which a constable gave
the delinquent six heavy lashes. As soon as Lowry
appeared before me, he seemed to disregard the details of
the charge preferred. There were no protestations of in-
nocence, no admissions of guilt; but the moment he
entered, he commenced the loud and continued assertion,
"I'm beyant fourteen, Fm beyant fourteen." On each
occasion I differed from the opinion so forcibly enunciated,
and ordered the application of the birchen correction.
Finally, he withdrew from my quarter, and restricted his
delinquencies to the B and C divisions. I was informed
that he expressed his disgust at my decisions by saying —
" If I was to live until I got as grey as the owld rascal
himself, he'd still insist that I was not beyant four-
teen."

One day there were a number of packages lying in a
heap on the floor of a shop in Parliament Street, and
rather near the entrance. A label upon each stated the
contents to be three pounds of tea, of the finest quality,
offered by the proprietor of " The Golden Teapot " to his
respected customers, at the unprecedented low price of
seven shillings. The parcels were covered with bright tin
foil, and had on each end a large seal in red wax. A
detective passing at the opposite side of the street observed
a boy stoop forward, just inside the door, and possess
himself of one of the packages of " splendid tea/' The
young thief was seized at once and brought before me, in
about five minutes after he had stolen the article. I

Whipping Young Thieves. 121

ordered him to be taken down stairs, to have six lashes
administered, and to be discharged. I then directed the
office messenger to run over to the establishment, and
tell them to send some person to claim the property. On
his return he said that the people were making fun of him,
and laughing at the result of the young thief s attempt. I
then raised one of the seals slightly with an office knife,
and found that the parcel was a dummy, made up for
show, and that the contents were sawdust. I told the
messenger, when I had closed the seal with another touch
of wax, to take it down and give it to the delinquent on
his departure, as the owners had not claimed the property.
The whipping was just over, and the sufferer issued forth,
having under his arm the cause of his punishment, and
for which it was to become his consolation. I was stand-
ing at the window, and just as he passed the external
rails, he stopped suddenly, and proceeded to examine the
package. Instantly he tore the cover, and flung up the
contents. The pain of the flogging seemed to return with
augmented force, and he screamed forth the most vitupera-
tive comments on my decision. " It wasn't tay at all. I
was beat for sawdust, and there's no law for that. I'll
get a letter wrote to the Lord Leftennant, you owld rascal,
and he'll larn you the differ between sawdust and tay."
Inspector O'Connor told me that the case was very fully
discussed amongst the young thieves, and that the general
conclusion was, " not to be too ready to steal parcels out
of shops, without knowing what was inside of them."

GARDEN ROBBERS.

My immediate predecessors generally resided in Dublin,
and they were considered by the proprietors of orchards
and gardens in the rural portion of the district, as too

122 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

lenient to depredators of fruit and vegetables. At the
time of my appointment, there was no safety for such
crops unless they were closely watched, and during the
night, the discharge of firearms, to deter marauders, was
almost continuous in Dolphin's Barn, Kilmainham, Har-
old's Cross, and Crumlin. Any cessation of strict vigi-
lance was certain to produce consequences which might
be fairly termed calamitous to those whose fruits and
vegetables were depended on for the maintenance of their
families. There were many persons who followed garden
robbing as their avocation, and the injuries inflicted by
them frequently extended to the succeeding year. If
they feared interruption, they would tear or cut the
branches of the larger fruits, and entire gooseberry and
currant bushes would be abstracted, to be picked at leisure.
Small fines or short imprisonments had totally failed to
check such offences. At the time to which I refer, I re-
sided at Roundtown, and although I had gardens and a
fine vinery there, they were never spoliated, so that in
adopting towards fruit-stealers stronger measures than
they had previously experienced, I was not actuated by
any personal feeling. However, I had the birch very
liberally used amongst the boys, and the more mature
offenders were, when convicted by me, deprived of any
opportunity for continuing their depredations on the grow-
ing or ripening productions of the season. Personal
motives were, nevertheless, sometimes ascribed to me,
even by those who were highly pleased with my decisions.
A very extensive orchard and garden at Harold's Cross
were entered by three habitual thieves, and they were cap-
tured whilst hastily filling two sacks with the choicest
apples, pears, apricots, &c. They had taken the sacks
from premises adjoining, and I convicted them of two

Garden Robbers. 123

distinct offences. Each was sent for four months to Kil-
mainham, with hard labour. Mr. Cox was engaged in
drawing the informations and committals, when the pro-
prietor exclaimed, in a tone of the highest gratification,
" Oh ! Mr. Cox, is it not a blessing from God that we
have now got a magistrate who has a garden of his own ?"
Two musicians belonging to a regimental band were
observed one night to cross a wall at Inchicore, into a
garden abounding with every description of choice fruit.
The police were quietly apprised of the offence, and the
delinquents were apprehended coming out of the premises
precisely at the place where they had entered. They were
both Germans. Their pockets were crammed, and each had
a handkerchief containing as much as could be bundled in
it. They had not taken a peach, apricot, or plum ; even
the pears and apples were disregarded ; and the produce
of their daring raid consisted entirely of onions. I committed
them for a week, and they were dismissed from the service
by the regimental authorities.

REFORMATORIES.

Previous to my retirement from magisterial duty, the
offence of fruit-stealing had greatly diminished, and I
believe that it does not now attain one-tenth of its former
frequency. When the magistrates were empowered to
send juvenile thieves to reformatories, corporal punish-
ment ceased to be administered. I preferred having a boy
flogged and discharged to sending him to prison, to be
kept, at the public expense, in baneful associations. As
soon, however, as a reformatory became available, I trans-
mitted the juvenile offenders, after a few days' imprison-
ment, to the care and instruction which, in all those insti-
tutions, have produced most beneficial results. My first

124 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

consignment to Glencree Reformatory was made under
circumstances rather extraordinary.

I was invited by my kind and valued friend, the late
Mr. George Evans, of Portrane, to spend a week at his
hospitable mansion. Arrangements were made by me with
my colleagues to admit of my absence for that time, and
that I should take the duty on the Monday of the suc-
ceeding week. Accordingly, I came to Dublin from
Donabate by an early train, and commenced the custody
cases about ten o'clock, a.m. A constable prosecuted a
lad whom he had met on Rathmines Road about four
o'clock on that morning, carrying a coarse bath-sheet, in
which two check shirts, three pairs of cotton socks, and a
washing waistcoat were wrapped. The prisoner was
charged with having those articles in his possession, they
being " reasonably suspected of having been stolen or un-
lawfully obtained." I called on the prisoner to account to
my satisfaction how he came by them. He declined any
explanation, and produced a laugh in court by saying
"that I would know time enough/' I ordered him to be
imprisoned for a week, and then to be transmitted to
Glencree for three years. On my return home to Round-
town in the evening, I was told that my bath-sheet, night-
shirts, &c, had been stolen on the previous night from a
bleaching-line in the back yard, over the wall of which
my first envoy to Glencree had managed to clamber. The
articles did not remain long in the police store.

APOLOGIES FOR VIOLENCE.

Soon after my appointment to office, an election oc-
curred, and the city of Dublin was keenly contested. I
received an order to proceed, on the nomination day, to
Green Street, to take charge of the civil force there, and to

Apologies for Violence. 125

report myself to the returning officer, the High Sheriff. I
had consequently, in my official capacity, to present my-
self to my own brother, the late Joshua Porter, and I con-
tinued during the election, which was protracted as long
as the law allowed, ready to quell any riotous demonstra-
tion. My brother was not fortunate enough to please all
parties. His arrangements of booths and selection of de-
puties were denounced as having been made in a partial
spirit, and the mob vociferously expressed an anxiety to
be actuated in their treatment of him by the greatest of
Christian virtues, for they unanimously agreed that it
would be a " charity " to pelt him, if any opportunity
offered to make a liberal subscription of stones for the
purpose. He was escorted each day to and from the
court-house by a strong body of police, and he remained
in it until the termination of the proceedings in the even-
ings. There was usually, during the election, a troop of
hussars stationed in Halston Street, at the rere of New-
gate, and a party of police was distributed between them
and King Street, North. One afternoon, just at twilight,
I walked out of the court-house, and as soon as I got to
the steps, a crowd in King Street uttered a yell of ani-
mosity, and sent a volley of stones at me. I was not
struck by any of the missiles. The police moved towards
the mob, and the latter receded a few yards, but remained
together. I walked towards them, and loudly informed
them, that if they renewed their attack, I had the " Riot
Act" in my pocket, and would instantly read it, and rep y
by a discharge of carbine bullets. There was no further
demonstration on their part, and I returned to the court-
bouse. In a few minutes, I was departing for home,
when I was accosted by a carman named Smith. He
asked me, " Would I take a covered car ? " and I replied

126 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

in the affirmative. He brought me home; and on dis-
charging him, he said that the people had directed him to
try " if he could get to say two or three words to me."
He then conveyed to me the most extraordinary apology
that could emanate from a mob for an attempted outrage.
" Yer worship, I was tpuld to tell you that there wasn't
a man or boy among them would throw anything at you
or any other of yer magistrates, but whin you came out
on the steps, in the dusk of the evening, they really
thought that you were The High Sheriff."

I may mention that being in London in 1849, on
official business, I was invited to dine at the Mansion
House at an entertainment given by the Lord Mayor of
that year (Sir James Duke) to the judicial authorities,
metropolitan magistrates, &c. I had the honour to sit
beside Chief Baron Pollock, and in conversation with him
and two or three others in my proximity, I narrated the
preceding anecdote. He said that the apology tendered to
me was not more ridiculous or absurd than one which
had been offered by some of those engaged in the " No
Popery" riots of 1780, connected with the name of Lord
George Gordon. There was a house in Charles Street,
from the precincts of which morality was totally estranged,
and it was thoroughly devastated by a furious mob.
Some of those concerned in wrecking it were subsequently
arrested, tried and convicted of the offence. When brought
forward for sentence, the judge gave them to understand
that the reputation of the premises afforded no justifica-
tion for their violence, nor could it be alledged in mitiga-
tion of their punishment. Two or three of them exclaimed,
" that if they had known what the house really was, they
would never have attacked it; but they had been told, and
fully believed, that it was a Nunnery"

Trespassers on a Nunnery. 127

TRESPASSERS ON A NUNNERY.

In twelve or eighteen months after the festive occasion to
to which I have referred, I accompanied a friend to visit two
of his daughters, who were pupils at the Loretto Convent,
Rathfarnham. Mrs. Ball, the aged and respected Super-
ioress, gave us a very kind reception. We were conducted
through the gardens and conservatories. On returning to
the house, we were plentifully served with refreshments.
In the course of conversation, my friend expressed his
regret that so much hostile feeling should exist against
conventual institutions. I remarked that it was not at
all so intense as it had been in the previous century, when
in London the mere reputation of a house being a nun-
nery was considered by the populace as fully sufficient to
justify its destruction. To the best of my recollection,
the Superioress observed — " I hope that those who enter-
tained such hostile feelings lived long enough to repent of
them. I think that the various classes of society are
coming to a better understanding, and I expect great pro-
gressive improvement. Here we have not suffered the
slightest annoyance for more than thirty years, and the
only matter of which we had to complain was not very
serious. Shortly after this establishment was founded,
two young fellows, who resided in the neighbourhood,
formed a design to entice two very handsome and rich
young ladies to elope with them. They provided ladders,
climbed into the trees which overhung the wall, dropped
notes at the feet of the lasses, and were for a time inces-
sant in their amatory pursuit. However, a communica-
tion with the guardian of one and the parents of the other,
and the consequent authoritative expostulations, produced
a satisfactory effect. They promised to relinquish their

128 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

project, and as a token of their sincerity, sent us their
ladders. I believe they repented of having given us any
trouble, and they implicitly kept their promise. One
of them is now a colonel in the army, and the other is
a magistrate of police. Mr. Porter, let me request you to
have some more fruit and another glass of wine." I
admired the kind and forgiving sentiments of the Su-
perioress, and felt very grateful for her courteous hospi-
tality, but I had no idle curiosity to know the names of
the two ladder lads to whom her observations referred.

CHAPTER XIV,

TERRY DRISCOLL's FICTION BRIDGET LAFFAN —

SAILORS FISHER.

I shall now revert to magisterial reminiscences, and
notice an anecdote originally published in the Warder
newspaper, as a portion of a letter signed " Terry Driscoll,"
which was the nom deplume of a well-known facetious and
imaginative contributor named Jackson. It purports to
be a report of observations addressed by me to a female
who was repeatedly charged with being "drunk and dis-
orderly." It states that Mr. Porter said to the delinquent
that her frequent intoxication was always accompanied
with indecent language and personal violence, so as to
render her a public nuisance and a plague to the police.
He then adjudged her, in default of solvent security for
her good behaviour, to be committed for one calendar
month, which time should be sufficient to bring her to a
proper state of reflection on the past, and a disposition to
reform her habits, and to curse Whisky. To this she is
represented to have replied, " That she had no fault to find
with Whisky, nor would she ever curse it, but from the
bottom of her heart she could wish lad luck to Porter.'9
To this anecdote several English periodicals have afforded
extensive publicity, and I have merely to say that it is
altogether a fiction.

K

130 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

rB RID GET LAFFAN.

There is, I believe, still living in Dublin, a woman
named Bridget Laffan. I would readily wager that since
1 84 1 she has been the subject of more than two thou-
sand committals, in which drunkenness, violence, abusive
language, indecent expressions or behaviour, and occa-
sional mendicancy, constituted the offences. Shortly
before I retired, she was brought before me charged with
intoxication, and with three distinct assaults; one being
on a constable in the execution of his duty. I told
her, the cases having been fully proved, that on each 6i
the assaults she should go to prison, with hard labor, for
two months, which would relieve the public and the police
for the next half year from one who had become an into-
lerable pest and disgrace to the community. When I
directed her to be removed, she exclaimed that "she had
got no fair play, and had not been allowed to say a word
for herself." I then said that she was at liberty to speak,
if it occurred to her that there was any favorable circum-
stance in her case either as a defence or mitigation. Her
reply was short and peculiarly argumentative.

" It 's an unrasonable thing to sind me to Grangegor-
man for six months, and to call me a pest and disgrace to
the 'varsal world. If it wasn't for roe and the likes of me,
that gets a bit disorderly whin we have a drop, and kicks
up ructions now and then, there ud be very little call for
polis magistrates and polismen, or such varmint. It's
creatures like me that 's yer best friends, and keeps the
bread in yer mouths, and all we get for it is jailing and
impudence."

Sailors. 131

SAILORS.

During* the considerable time in which I discharged
magisterial duties at the Head Office and also at Kings-
town, I cannot recollect that more than five or six charges
were preferred before me against sailors. When the Ajax
was stationed at the latter place one of the crew stole some
clothes and other articles from several of his shipmates.
The thief was detected on shore with some of the property
in his possession, and was summarily convicted before me,
and imprisoned, with hard labor, for six months. I notice
this case on account of the discontent which, I was cre-
dibly informed, the treatment of the delinquent produced
amongst the crew. It is generally believed that the aboli-
tion of corporal punishment was anxiously desired by our
sailors ; but in reference to the instance of thieving which
was disposed of by me, it was regarded on board the ship
as almost tantamount to the forgiveness of the delinquent.
The opinion was most freely expressed that the fellow
should have been sent on board, tried by court-martial,
and flogged. It was the only offence of a mean and dis-
graceful nature that Lever. knew to be charged against a
blue-jacket.

About twenty years have elapsed since " La Hogue"
frigate came into Kingstown. One of the crew, as fine-
looking a young man as ever I saw, came on shore and
indulged too freely in strong potations. It required two
or three constables to effect his capture and lodgment in
the station-house. Next morning he was brought up
before me, and the circumstances of his intoxication and
resistance were in course of statement by one of his
captors, who occupied the witness box, whilst the prisoner

132 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

stood directly opposite to the bench, with the ship's
corporal, who had been sent ashore to look after him,
standing close beside him. I said to the sailor, " If you
wish to put any question to the constable, you are at
liberty to do so, and if you feel disposed to say anything
for yourself, I am ready and willing to hear you." He
stood silent and downcast, when the ship's corporal
nudged him and said quite aloud, " Speak up for yourself
like a man, the magistrate is a good gentleman and is
ready to hear you." The prisoner replied in a desponding,
but perfectly audible tone, " It 's no use, that fellow
(pointing to the policeman) will swear anything, and the
old chap will believe him." There was loud and general
laughter at the estimate formed by the tar of the constable
and of the magistrate. I discharged him, without pre-
judice to informations and a warrant, and told the ship's
corporal that the warrant should not be sent on board. T
consequently restricted the sailor to remain in his vessel
during her stay at Kingstown, which was for about another
week.

From the same ship a sailor came ashore attired in his
best clothes and with seven pounds in his pocket. He
was decoyed into a disreputable place, where, by the
administration of whisky and snuff, he was rendered
insensible. A detective observed a woman leaving the
house, and carrying a bundle. He allowed her to proceed
to the railway terminus, at the entrance of which he
arrested her. The bundle contained the seaman's clothes,
and the female searcher got a five pound note and two
sovereigns secreted in the culprit's chignon. The police
did not inform the sailor of the clothes and money having
been found. They dressed him in some old ill-fitting habili-
ments, and he looked most lubberly in his attire, and also

Fisher. 133

deeply dejected at the supposed loss of his clothes and cash.
His sadness was at once dissipated by the contents of the
bundle being produced, and the bank-note and sovereigns
completed the restoration of his spirits. There was,
however, one small article missing, and in reference to it he
made an earnest request of me, and accompanied it with
an alluring offer, in the following terms : —

t€ Your honor, my clothes are all here and my money is
safe too. I only miss a little blue hankecher with white
spots, I had it from mother when we last parted ; and it's
dog's usage I Ml get from her if I haven't it at our next
meeting. If you send out a smart chap or two in search

of it, I think it will be easily got, and if it is, I'm d d

but I '11 stand anything that you and your people choose
to call for, all round."

A summary conviction, with six months imprisonment,
of the woman with whom the clothes and money were
detected, terminated the proceeding. The kerchief was
not sought for, and we had "all round" to content ourselves
without the proffered libations.

FISHER.

One of the most extraordinary characters of the many
who came under my frequent magisterial notice, was a man
named Fisher. He was the most inveterate and incor-
rigible drunkard that was to be found in Dublin, perhaps
I might truly say, in the Empire. He had been educated,
as I heard, in Stockholm, and acquired a proficiency in
several European languages. He had also considerable
classical attainments. His intemperance had ruined his
commercial interests, and precluded his employment by
others, even in very subordinate capacities. Occasionally
he would be taken and kept almost as a prisoner in the

134 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

concerns of an extensive timber merchant, arranging with
the Norwegian or Danish people engaged in the delivery
of cargoes. A suit of clothes and a pound or two would
be thus acquired, but in a few minutes after his liberation
he would assuredly be found in street or lane, hall or
entry, dead drunk. He was never violent, abusive,
blasphemous, or indecent, and as his senses returned, he
became courteous and submissive. By the police he was
generally pitied, and when a constable was obliged to state
that he found " Mr. Fisher " drunk on a thoroughfare, he
almost invariably added that he was very quiet. The
magistrates were not severe on the wretched creature,
and in general, the ruling in reference to him was deferred
until the close of their sitting, (four o'clock,) and then
the charge sheet was marked, " Dismissed with a caution."
If there happened to be a paucity of cases, we were not
disinclined to allow Fisher to address the bench, and state
the grounds on which he expected or solicited exemption
from punishment. He never "worshipped" us, but
invariably named the magistrate, with the prefix of " My
dear/' I recollect a short speech having been made by
him before myself, which excited my surprise and admira-
tion from its purity of diction and the combination of
interesting ideas it evinced. The charge against him
was " Drunk on a public thoroughfare," and the constable
stated that he found Mr. Fisher lying on the steps of a
hall-door in Peter Street, fast asleep, and having been
aroused, he was very drunk, but perfectly quiet.

" My dear Mr. Porter," said the prisoner, " I acknow-
ledge and regret my lapse from propriety —

• Facilis descensus Averai.'

I have, however, been severely punished. I reclined on

Fisher. 135

the steps where your constable found me, and immediately
I sank into a slumber which, had it lasted for ever, would
have afforded me a blissful immortality. Sweet visions of
the past, retrospections of youthful joys, untainted by
the errors and cares of the present, monopolised my
imagination. A mother's lips were pressed to mine.
A father's smile gladdened my heart. I had clasped a
sister's hand, and a brother's arm encircled my neck.
The home of my childhood arose before me, and the gar-
den, with which my earliest recollections were associated,
appeared in luxuriant, vernal beauty. The strong hand of
your officer, firmly but not rudely applied, dispelled the
delightful scene in which I was entranced, and recalled me
to the sad reality of captivity and degradation. Have I
not already suffered enough to justify the clemency which
I implore ? '' The wretched man was cautioned and dis-
charged.

Having been brought before me on four successive
mornings, I told him that I would not permit his coming
so frequently, and that I adjudged him to pay a shilling,
or to be confined for twenty-four hours. Thereupon he
replied, " I regret, my dear Mr. Porter, that on this occa-
sion you do not manifest your usual equanimity. I ac-
knowledge my fault, but I am not worse to-day than I
was yesterday or any of the previous days. Moreover, I
must respectfully submit that you are greatly mistaken in
your remarks as to my coming so often. I never came
before you or any magistrate. I was always brought. If
the police will leave me as they find me, I shall never
complain of their want of attention, nor shall I ever in-
trude on your presence. Strike off that paltry shilling,
and let me depart once more." I told the constable to
remove the prisoner, upon which he exclaimed, " If you

136 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

are obdurate, and insist on marking a penalty, put five
shillings on the sheet. It will look more respectable, and
there is just the same chance of its payment."

Fisher continued a hopeless, persistent drunkard. With
natural talents of no mean order, and with educational
acquirements from which great and varied advantages
might be expected, he lived despised and ridiculed, and
afforded to those under whose occasional observation he
came, a melancholy but certain proof that when a man's
habits render him his own enemy, he becomes incapable
of deriving any benefit from the friendship of others. On
a winter's night in, I believe, 1856, Fisher betook himself
to a limekiln in Luke Street. He lay down too near the
edge and fell asleep, never to awake again in this world.
Suffocated by the fumes of the kiln, his corpse, after an
inquest and verdict of " accidental death," was consigned
to a pauper's coffin, and was ultimately made a subject for
anatomical demonstration. His fate was truly melancholy,
but some salutary reflections may be derived from contem-
plating the final consequences of habitual and unrestrained
intemperance.

\/\ r\ /n /

CHAPTER XV.

A DUPER DUPED.

I shall now proceed to relate a magisterial reminiscence
in which the only fictions are the names of the parties, and
I trust that at the termination of the narrative, my readers
will agree in the moral which I shall attempt to deduce,
that the person who commences a cheating game is not to
be pitied, if, at the close, he finds himself the only loser.

Twenty-five years have elapsed since, in an aristo-
cratic family, in a central county of Ireland, a young
woman was residing in a capacity rather difficult to define.
She was somewhat above a menial and below a governess,
neither the companion of her employers nor the associate
of the servants. Her educational attainments were very
limited, and her industrial power was of little value, for
she was of small frame and delicate constitution. The
care of two children was deputed to her, and all services
necessary for their health, comfort, instruction, correction,
or amusement were expected from Elizabeth Jones.

She had enough to do, but she did not think so. Her
life was monotonous, her tastes were not congenial to the
circumstances and persons amongst whom she was placed.
A native of Wales, far from her kindred, and prevented by
her position from forming, amongst her own sex, a friend-
ship, or even an acquaintance to which she could attach

138 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

any value, her only resource was to fall in love, — and a
few casual attentions from an officer of constabulary quite
overcame poor Elizabeth Jones.

" He dazzled her eyes, he bewilder'd her brain,
He caught her affections so light and so vain."

He perceived that he was loved, and pretended a recip-
rocal feeling. He promised, and vowed, and swore that she
should be his wife, and he deceived her.

Richard Gilmore was sorely annoyed when Elizabeth
Jones suggested very strong reasons for the immediate
observance of his solemn promise of marriage; but he
refused compliance, and sought to convince her that their
union would only ruin him without saving her. She
addressed her remonstrances to deaf ears. Marriage was
out of the question, and she found herself a ruined, friend-
less creature, with the certainty of a speedy and disgraceful
expulsion from the house in which she had for some years
humbly earned her subsistence. However, she vented no
reproaches ; she only upbraided with a tear, and communi-
cated her determination to depart and carry her sorrows to
some distant locality. Of this intention Richard fully
approved ; and he congratulated himself on the prospect
of being so soon delivered from any future annoyance on
the part of Elizabeth Jones. She fixed the time for leaving
her situation, and requested a last interview with Mr.
Gilmore, at an early hour, before the inmates of the house
were stirring. Richard was punctual. She opened a
writing-desk, and informed him that she had come to the
resolution of releasing him from every promise on his
part, from every claim which she could advance then or at
any future time, on one condition : she only required his
written pledge, upon his honor as an officer and a gentle-

A Duper duped. 139

man, that be would never seek to renew his acquaintance
with her, or even pretend to know her if they met. To
this he joyfully acceded, and placed the required document
in her hands ; but his curiosity induced him to enquire as
to her motive in seeking such a solemn written undertaking.

" Richard Gilmore," she said, " I was prostrated by
acute and increasing misery, but a door of escape from
total disgrace and destruction has been opened. I can
never be happy, but I may have some opportunity for
reflection, and ultimately, my mind may become some-
what tranquil. I shall soon be a mother. I am about to
depart from Ireland for ever, and shall fix my residence in
a retired part of England, and there, in the garb and under
the designation of a widow, I shall devote myself to the
care of the child of whom you are father, but for whom, I
only insist and have stipulated with you, that you shall
never disgrace your offspring by disclosing its paternity,
and never remind me by your presence of the degradation
to which, by your falsehood, I have been reduced. "

" But," said Gilmore, " your means are scanty, and for
a time you must be incapable of any industrial pursuit or
exertion. I can give you some pecuniary assistance ; it
is my duty to do all I can to alleviate your sufferings. I
deserve your reproaches, and would gladly do anything to
prove that I am not so utterly heartless as you think me."

" No, Richard Gilmore ; not a farthing would I receive
from you, if it were to save me from starvation. To you
I owe my ruin, but with you I have no further communi-
cation ; and I shall never allow you to think that I have
compromised my wrongs for money, or taken a price for
my character. Moreover, I may now tell you that I shall
not want your assistance ; and as I feel that you dare not
break your written undertaking, you may read this/'

140 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

She placed in his hands a letter, of which the following
is a copy, substituting fictitious names : —

" Abergavenny, June 14th, 1847.
" Miss Elizabeth Jones,

" Madame, I hasten to apprize you of the death of your lamented
aunt, Miss Rebecca Jones, who expired yesterday morning, after a very
short indisposition. The respectable deceased applied for my professional
assistance about three weeks since, in the settlement of her worldly affairs.
For some years she had lived in great seclusion, and was extremely averse
to any communication with your brother ; she would never see his wife.
In fact, her relatives seem to have been disliked in proportion to the
proximity of their residence ; and it is to your long absence from her that
I ascribe the preference which she has evinced towards you, on which I
offer you my respectful congratulations.

" By your aunt's will (which is in my possession) she has devised to you
several freehold interests in and adjacent to this town, producing about
^300 per annum; she has also bequeathed to you ^2,000 secured by
mortgage on the property of Mr. Deacon, of Aberystwith, and a bond of
Mr. Edmond Morgan, of Cardiff, for ;£ 1,100.

" I hope, Madame, you will feel that in the capacity of your respected
relative's confidential adviser I have not been hostile or even indifferent to
your interests ; and I beg to assure you that, if your affairs are entrusted to
my care, I shall make every exertion to justify the preference that I
respectfully solicit.

" I have the honour to be, Madame,

" Your obedient, humble servant,

" David Wynne, Solicitor,

" PS. — Mrs. Wynne desires me to convey, with her respects, a request
that, if you visit Abergavenny, you will honor her and me by becoming
our guest during your stay."

"Good heavens!" exclaimed Richard Gilmore, "how
delighted I am, my dearest Lizzie, at your good fortune.
I shall fully and faithfully observe my pledge ; but before
we part, consider well whether you should not use your
altered circumstances for your own comfort, for the com-
plete prevention of every future pain and difficulty, and
above all, for the sake of your unborn offspring. If I

A Duper duped. 141

could, without absolute ruin, have redeemed the promise
which my passion produced, you should never have had
occasion to upbraid me. I loved you fondly, dearly; and
it is in your power to give me an opportunity of proving,
whilst we live, a faithful and devoted husband."

u Ah no ! " said Elizabeth, a our marriage could never
be happy; we would be mutually miserable. You would
never respect her whom, in her supposed poverty, you
scorned ; and our union now would be as much the sub-
ject of scandalous comment as if you wedded me this day
openly at the church of Castle —

»>

" If you marry me, my darling Lizzy, I shall adopt
means to prevent exposure, or even suspicion. You shall
leave this place immediately, go up to Dublin, and take a
lodging in one of the small city parishes, where few Pro-
testants reside. I shall obtain leave of absence, follow
you to Dublin, take out a licence, and after a short stay I
shall return and effect an exchange to a remote county,
where I can present you to society as my wife, without
any suspicion being entertained that our union has been
too recent for your reputation. There your child can be
born without any stain on its birth, or any cloud on its
future prospects. Come, Lizzy dear, forget and forgive ;
I am still your own fond Richard/'

He seized her hand, her struggle was slight, his arm
encircled her waist, and on her lips he imprinted the seal
of his future truth and of her present forgiveness. In
two days Elizabeth Jones was lodging in Nicholas Street,
Dublin, and in about a week Richard Gilmore was married
to her in the church of St. Nicholas. The wedding was
very private and quiet, the only witnesses being the man
in whose house they lodged, his wife, and two young
persons whose attendance they procured.

142 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

Three or four days elapsed, and Richard Gilmore ac-
costed his bride. " Lizzy," he said, " I cannot delay my
return to duty beyond another Veek. I have already
made application for an exchange ; but before I return to
the country, I think it would be well if I went over to
Wales and regulated the future receipt of your rents,
and also ascertained how the money due by Deacon and
Morgan is circumstanced. If they pay five per cent,
punctually, we shall be very comfortable. I have calcu-
lated that, with my pay, we shall have near ^doo a-year.
I shall buy a nice jaunting-car and "

" You need not trouble yourself, Richard," said Mrs.
Gilmore, very solemnly, "about my property in Wales.
In fact, I have just taken a leaf out of your own book,
and if the perusal is disagreeable, it is not to me that the
authorship should be imputed. You made me a promise
of marriage, you broke your word, and refused to save me
from disgrace and misery. I procured a letter to be
written about property that never existed, and made you
believe that it was your interest to marry her whom your
affection or sense of honor did not suffice to shield from
destruction."

"You infernal Jezebel! you lying profligate! debased
and degraded you shall be. I shall never live another
hour with you. I shall never give a farthing to save you
or your brat from starvation."

" I thank you, Mr. Gilmore, for myself and my coming
brat. Thank heaven, you cannot say my bastard. You
know what course it best answers you to take, but—-"

Richard Gilmore was gone. Presently he was heard
descending the stairs, and in a few minutes more the
landlady announced to Mrs. Gilmore that her husband

A Duper duped. 143

had departed, having first paid the lodging rent for the
coming week, and having relinquished any further tenancy.

Mrs. Gilmore heard this intelligence with surprising
calmness, and replied by informing the landlady of Mr.
Gilmore's position, and of the place where he was sta-
tioned ; adding that she would stay for the time for which
the rent was paid, and that then, when she would be really
destitute, she would go to the workhouse. She imparted
a good deal of confidence to the landlady, whom we shall
name Mrs. Canavan, and who, seeing that she would not
lose anything, gave Mrs. Gilmore her utmost sympathy.
Mrs. Canavan was a fair specimen of human nature; for we
never refuse our sympathy to our unfortunate fellow-crea-
tures when we are not asked for anything more.

In another week Mrs. Gilmore proceeded to the South
Dublin Union Workhouse, and there informed the admis-
sion committee that her husband was a constabulary
officer ; that his income was about double the reality ; that
he had some private property and great expectations ; and
that she, on the eve of her accouchement, was deserted by
her husband, and compelled to become an inmate of the
workhouse.

The committee admitted the applicant, registered the
admission, and brought the case before the Board of
Guardians on the following Thursday, when they obtained
a ready sanction to prosecute Mr. Gilmore for deserting
his wife, and leaving her, as a pauper, chargeable on the
rates. A summons bearing my signature issued, and the
constabulary officer appeared at the police-court. The
marriage was proved, as were the circumstances of the
desertion. On the part of the Guardians a demand was
made for the immediate committal of the delinquent, to
be imprisoned, with hard labor for three months. Richard

144 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

Gilmore escaped a formal conviction by paying the ex-
penses already incurred, and undertaking to allow twenty
shillings weekly for his wife's maintenance. All parties
left the police-court ; but in an hour or two after the case
had been heard, Richard Gilmore returned and applied to
me to have Elizabeth Jones, calling herself Gilmore, ap-
prehended on a charge of bigamy. He alleged that she
had been married in Wales about four years previous to
her marriage with him, and that her husband, Thomas
Jones, was still living. His assertions were made on
statements which he had received from others. He had
no legal evidence of the charge, and I refused to issue a
warrant for the apprehension of the alleged bigamist, but
he determined to persist in the accusation. He seized on
his wife in the public street, and gave her into the custody
of a constable on a charge of felony. On the following
morning he stated on oath that he had been informed, and
fully believed, that the prisoner had been married to one
Thomas Jones in a parish church near Carnarvon ; that
said Thomas was still living; and he further swore to the
marriage of the prisoner with himself in the city of Dublin.
He asked for a remand, and stated that he expected to
produce witnesses from Wales to prove his charge. I
remanded the accused for six days, and Richard left Dublin
by the next Holyhead packet in quest of evidence to con-
vict his wife. Before she wis removed to prison she sent
to me a short note, in which she implored me to direct that
no person should be permitted to see her in the prison
unless at her own request; and further, that on the day
for resuming the investigation, she should be placed
amongst a number of females, and that the witnesses
should be required to identify her from amongst the
others. I considered those requests to be fair and reason-

A Duper duped. 145

able, and directed that they should be complied with.
Richard Gilmore returned to Dublin the day before the
resumption of the case. He brought over two witnesses,
and sought at the prison to give them a view of the
accused, but they were denied admittance. On the ap-
pointed day Elizabeth Gilmore was brought from the
prison, and placed in the carriage-court with about a dozen
of other females, amongst whom was Mrs. Canavan, her
Nicholas Street landlady, who manifested great interest in
her sufferings, and great indignation at Richard Gilmore's
attempt to transport an innocent creature whom he had
▼owed to love and cherish. Without separating the
prisoner from the other women, I proceeded to swear the
first witness, one William Jones, who stated that he was
a parish clerk of some unpronounceable place in Wales ;
that he remembered the marriage of Thomas Jones and
Elizabeth Jones, and he produced the registry ; he recol-
lected the matter very distinctly, the more so from the
parties being both of the same name as himself. I
directed him to look at the women present, and to point
out the one whom he had seen married at the time
mentioned in the registry if she was amongst them. Mr.
Jones walked to the group, viewed all the women, and very
deliberately placing his hand on Mrs. Canavan's shoulder,
identified her as the culprit. He was instantly electrified
by a burst of abuse, delivered in an accent acquired much
nearer to Patrick Street than to Penmanmawr.

Mrs. Canavan's vocabulary was too copious to be
select. I do not think that I could have restrained her, and
I admit that I allowed her a latitude from which I derived
some amusement. She descanted on the propriety of

"cropping the ears"* of perjured parish clerks, but gave

«

* Cropping the ears was in former times a punishment for perjury.

L

146 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

up that idea as, on full consideration, it appeared too mild
a treatment for the Welshman. She proceeded to assure
him, that there was not a gaol in Ireland that would
refuse him admission ; and that in no place of such a
description could he meet with anyone worse than him-
self. She appealed to my benevolent tendencies to have
the Welsh fellow transported at once, upon the grounds
that it would be "a charity;" and she descanted on the
physiological defect in such a parish clerk having been
born without handcuffs, suggesting an artificial amend-
ment of the natural deficiency. She thanked Mr. Jones
for the pleasant news, that she had one husband in
Dublin and another in Wales, and assured him that he
might expect some very particular attentions from the
Dublin one in acknowledgment of his testimony.

" And still she talked, and still the wonder spread,
That one small tongue could utter all she said/'

The parish clerk was overwhelmed with confusion, but
Richard Gilmore persisted in his charge, and demanded
the examination of his remaining witness. Accordingly,
a Mrs. Edwards was sworn. She deposed that the
Thomas Jones mentioned in the registry was her brother.
She had not been present at the marriage, but was satis-
fied that her brother was living, for she had seen him at
Swansea about a month previous, at which time he was
proceeding to America as supercargo in a merchant vessel.
On further examination, she stated that she was aware
that Thomas and Elizabeth Jones had separated within
the last two years, and this put an end to the case, for a
reference to Gilmore's information showed that his ac-
quaintance with the prisoner commenced nearly three
years before their marriage. I remarked that the only

A Duper Duped. 147

allegation fully and clearly proved was the marriage of
Mr. Gilmore to Miss Jones in the church of St. Nicholas ;
and it only remained for me to discharge the prisoner, to
congratulate the parties on the removal of all imputation
on the legality of their union, and to wish them many
years of connubial happiness. Richard Gilmore did not
manifest the slightest gratitude for this kind expression ;
he left the court without asking his wife to accompany
him, but she was not compelled to betake herself again to
the workhouse. Her weekly stipend was continued. Soon
afterwards a son was born, and he is now a confidential
em ploy 6 in an extensive mercantile establishment in Dub-
lin. I do not believe that he ever sought his father, or
that his father ever took the slightest notice of him.
Wishing him prosperity and happiness, I hope that he
may never be necessitated to engage in any correspond-
ence or enquiry relative to his mother's property in Wales.
She resided for a considerable time in one of our southern
suburbs, and latterly affected no secrecy as to the means
which she adopted to effect her marriage. In the year
1858, I expressed, in some conversations with a medical
man of her acquaintance, a wish for the particulars, and a
copy of the letter which I have given to my readers was
enclosed to me by post, without any accompanying condi-
tion, or even an indication of the quarter from whence it
was furnished.

CHAPTER XVI.

WHO THREW THE BOTTLE ? — EXCISE AND CUSTOMS

CASES.

In the "Dublin Annals" given in Thorn's Almanac and
Official Directory, it is stated in reference to the year
1822, " Riot in the theatre, on the Marquis of Wellesley,
the Lord Lieutenant's first visit thither, during which a
bottle was flung into his Excellency's box."

At the time referred to, I had not attained a profession,
and my magisterial position was twenty years distant. I
have, however, a very distinct recollection of the affair, as
I was seated about the centre of the pit during the riot,
and I have to notice that the statement in the Dublin
Annals is incorrect. It contains, perhaps, the only inac-
* curacy that can be found in that voluminous and compre-
hensive publication. No bottle was flung into the viceregal
box, but a rattle was thrown, which struck the front of the
box, fell inside, and was raised and held up to the view of
the audience by the Lord Lieutenant himself. A bottle
was thrown from one of the galleries, and it struck the
curtain in the middle with such violence, as to form a
kind of bay for itself, and it slipped down on the stage,
close to the foot-lights, and was taken up unbroken by
the leader of the orchestra.

Who threw the Bottle ? 149

Prosecutions for riot were instituted, and amongst others
a man named Henry Hanbidge was indicted. To him
was imputed the throwing of the bottle, and some persons
swore informations to the effect, that they were in the
middle gallery, and that the bottle was cast from the
upper gallery to the centre of the curtain. The proceed-
ings for riot were ineffective. There was no conviction.

When I became a magistrate, in casual conversations
with Pemberton, Cox, and others, the " bottle and rattle
riot" formed a topic. They said that the assertion of the
bottle having been cast from the upper gallery was generally
disbelieved. It was, in fact, regarded as an impossibility.
Major Sin* and Alderman Darley went one morning, whilst
the prosecutions were pending, to the theatre, bringing a
large hamper of bottles, and accompanied by some active and
powerful peace-officers, who were directed to throw bottles
from the upper gallery to the curtain, but not a bottle
reached even the orchestra. The roof of the theatre
sloped forward and downwards, and the elevation required
to send the missile to the curtain invariably smashed it
against the ceiling, and distributed the broken glass about
the pit. The Major and Alderman came to the conclu-
sion that the riotous bottle had been cast from the boxes
or lower gallery.

In about ten years after the affair at the theatre, the house
of Sir Abraham Bradley King in Dame Street was consumed
by fire. The conflagration commenced in the lower part of
the premises, in which there was a great quantity of sta-
tionery. The first and second floors were almost imme-
diately in flames. The catastrophe occurred on a Sunday
morning. No fire brigade was then organized, no fire
escapes had been provided. A man was in the top front

150 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

room, and he had no access to the roof. A fearful death
appeared to be his inevitable fate, when another man
emerged from the roof of a neighbouring house, carrying
a rope of six or seven yards in length, at one end of which
he had formed a running noose. He stood on the narrow
parapet over the window, and let down the looped end to
the poor fellow, whose only chance of escape depended on
the sheer strength and steadiness of an individual. The
rope was fastened round the waist of him whom the
flames were fast approaching, and he was carried along by
the intrepid fellow whose courage and humanity excited
him to risk his own life to avert destruction from another,
until the window of the adjoining house was reached, and
the rescue was completed. This heroic act was accom-
plished by Henry Hanbidge.

I had been ten or twelve years in office as a police
magistrate when I was applied to by a poor old fellow
who was suffering acutely and completely debilitated by
rheumatism, to sign a recommendation for his admission
to Simpson's Hospital. The applicant was Henry Han-
bidge. I most readily complied with his request, and told
him that I would insert a few observations on his noble
achievement at the fire in Dame Street. He expressed
the deepest gratitude for my disposition to serve him.
When I was giving him the document, I said, "Now,
Hanbidge, might I ask you who threw the bottle ?" He
replied, u I did, your worship." I asked him "from what
part of the house was it thrown ?" " From the upper
gallery, your worship. A friend and I had emptied the
bottle, and I ran my stick into the neck, and shot it
straight to the curtain off the stick." My predecessors
had not thought of such a mode of projection.

Excise and Customs Cases. 151

EXCISE AND CUSTOMS CASES.

During my tenure of office I had an undesirable monopoly
of the cases brought forward for infractions of the Ex-
cise laws, and also an ample share of imputed viola-
tions of the statutes regulating the Customs duties in the
City and County of Dublin. The barristers who preceded
me as magistrates of the Head Police Office, had, in con-
sideration of such business being disposed of by them, an
addition of £105 to their salary ; but when I was about a
month in office, I was favored with a communication that,
without prejudice to the continuance of the work, I was
to be exonerated from the trouble of receiving or acknow-
ledging the usual pecuniary remuneration. The proceed-
ings instituted by the Excise were, almost invariably, of
an uninteresting character. I only recollect one which I
consider worth recording in these pages. The premises
of a maltster were visited by a revenue officer, and in one
of the rooms he observed that a board of the floor was
rather loose under his step. He raised it, and found a
shoot which led to another floor in adjoining premises,
which were apparently untenanted, and in which a large
quantity of fresh malt was in process of drying. The prin-
cipal workman in the maltster's employment dropped on his
knees, implored mercy, and said that he would confess all.
He then stated that he had made the communication for
the purpose of stealing his master's malt, and that he had
taken away all that was found by the officer in the adjoin-
ing store. He produced from his pocket a key for the ex-
ternal door of the building in which the malt was found.
The maltster escaped the infliction of a very heavy penalty,
but the workman was convicted on his own confession of
stealing the malt, and was sentenced to twelve months'

152 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

imprisonment. I subsequently was informed that during
his confinement the man whom he had robbed (?) sup-
ported his family most comfortably, and as soon as the
culprit terminated his incarceration, he was received back
into the maltster's employment.

As to the infractions of the Customs laws, my cases all
consisted of tobacco or brandy, and the seizures were, in
almost every instance, effected immediately on the arrival
in port of the respective ships. I believe that the intelli-
gence of smuggling ventures being on board was almost
always furnished by those from whom the contraband
articles were purchased, or by the attendants in taverns or
liquor shops, before whom unguarded conversations might
have occurred, and in some instances from both sources.
According to my recollection, the great majority of detec-
tions occurred on board vessels coming from places belong-
ing to the British Crown. Jersey contributed largely to
the contraband traffic, Gibraltar afforded an occasional
venture, and the timber ships from the British provinces
in North America were frequently made available to the
illicit importation of tobacco. A fine brig from St. John's,
New Brunswick, named, as well as I can remember, " The
Hope/' arrived in Dublin in the summer of 1852. She
was boarded in the bay by some officers of Customs, to
whom the master stated that his cargo was exclusively
timber. No other description of goods was mentioned in
the vessel's papers. The officers proceeded to raise some
boards at the foot of the cabin stair, and took out a large
quantity of Cavendish tobacco. They then entered the
cabin and removed some other boards, finding an abun-
dance of tobacco which had been there concealed. The
master was arrested, and having been brought before me,
I remanded the case, by the wish of all parties, for a week.

Excise and Customs Cases. 153

The revenue authorities did not institute any proceedings
involving the condemnation of the brig, but they sought
the conviction of the master, who was adjudged by me to
pay two hundred pounds, or in the default of such payment,
to be imprisoned for six months. His wife had been the
companion of his unfortunate voyage, and their separation,
on his committal to prison, was extremely sad. He was
a fine-looking young man; I think his name was Harris,
and he stated that he belonged to St. John's. The wife
was also a native of that place, and I never beheld a
woman who, in my opinion, surpassed her in personal
beauty. Moreover, she was very near the time when to
the designation of €t wife " the term " mother " would be
added. Whilst I condemned the man I deeply com-
miserated the woman, and all who witnessed their parting
sympathized in her affliction. At the Richmond Bride-
well, he was treated with much kindness, and was fre-
quently allowed access to the gardens, to which, as well
as to his prison-room, his wife was constantly admitted.
There was a young man confined at that time at the
instance of some of his relatives. He was a very extra-
ordinary person. In him great literary attainments were
combined with imaginative power : he had a mind which
could

" Give to airy nothing
A local habitation and a name."

He sometimes lapsed into excessive intemperance, during
which he exhibited such violent tendencies as justified a
committal for two months in default of substantial bail.
This imprisonment brought him into association with
Harris, the tobacco smuggler. They became confidential
friends. At this time about two months of the smuggler's

154 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

term had expired, and his fellow-prisoner expressed an
anxiety that they should both be liberated together. Harris
could not perceive how such a wish could be accomplished,
but the other thought it perfectly feasible. He prepared
a memorial to the Commissioners of Customs, which he
desired Harris to sign, and it was forwarded forthwith.
In a few days I received a letter from the solicitor of the
Customs, and with it the memorial. The Commissioners
expressed their willingness to have three months taken
off the term of the smuggler's incarceration, provided that
the committing magistrate did riot object to such a com-
mutation. I immediately forwarded the fullest approval
of such lenity, and having read the memorial, I returned
it to the solicitor. I regret that I did not keep a copy of
it, for it was a document which I feel myself incompetent
to describe in terms suitable to its merits. In refined and
elegant language it acknowledged the commission of the
offence and the justice of the punishment inflicted. It de-
clared a determintaion to abstain in future from every wilful
infraction of the laws, and implored the commiseration
of those to whom it was addressed for the misery to which
the memorialist was reduced, even though it had originated
in his own misconduct. His young and affectionate wife,
who had accompanied him from her native country, had
been unable to withstand the pressure of their misfortunes,
and had gone to an early grave in a strange land, being
attacked by premature childbirth. He had not even the
mournful privilege of assisting at the interment of his
beloved consort and her offspring; but from the gloomy
precincts of a penal prison he besought the authorities to
come to the merciful conclusion that he had suffered
enough.

Half of his imprisonment was abrogated, and the time

Excise and Customs Cases. 155

of his discharge was at hand. I was about to leave the
police-court on an afternoon, when I was informed that a
lady earnestly requested an interview for a few minutes.
To this application I acceded ; and the fair visiter, having
apologized for her intrusion, proceeded to inquire —

" If you please, sir, will you kindly inform me whether
my husband's time of imprisonment * is to be calculated
from the day of his arrest or from the day of his trial ? "

I asked the name of the lady, and she replied that she
was Mrs. Harris. I remarked that " I was agreeably
surprised, as I had seen it stated that she was dead."

€t Oh, sir," she exclaimed, " that was put in the memo-
rial by Mr. without even ray husband's knowledge.

However, I lost my little baby. But I hope that you will
not tell that I am alive/1 I then informed her that her
husband's term commenced from the date of his convic-
tion, and she retired. I did not feel it necessary to give
any publicity to Mrs. Harris's continued existence.

When the Ajax man-of-war was stationed at Kings-
town, the officer in command frequently exercised his
crew in warlike operations. In the year 1844, as well as
I now can recollect, he announced his intention to have a
mimic attack made on the ship, by boats, at night. A
vast number of persons assembled to behold a spectacle
intrinsically grand and peculiarly novel to a Dublin public.
The operations commenced about ten o'clock, and con-
tinued for upwards of an hour. Signals of alarm were
displayed by numerous lights of various colours, and they
were succeeded by tremendous discharges of artillery and
musketry, above which the cheers of the supposed com-
batants were frequently audible. At length the assailants
retired, and the Ajax remained intact and triumphant.
The spectators were most enthusiastic in their applause of

156 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

m

the bloodless conflict, which certainly was most deserving
of public admiration. However, it afterwards transpired
that during the sham battle in the harbour, some extraor-
dinary operations were effected in the vicinity. A smug-
gling vessel landed a cargo of tobacco close to the Kings-
town end of the eastern pier, but outside the harbour.
The venture was completely successful, and several days
elapsed before the revenue authorities received any intima-
tion of such a daring proceeding. The cargo was con-
veyed away partly by rail, partly by road, and it was re-
ported that almost the whole of it was transmitted to
Limerick, but nothing tangible resulted from enquiries or
searches. On the same night another cargo was landed
on Dalkey Island, and hastily concealed amongst the
rocks. It was supposed to have been brought by a con-
sort of the craft which had made the other run. On the
following day, a man, apparently of the seafaring class,
gave information to the Customs that he knew where
there was a large quantity of contraband tobacco con-
cealed, and that he was willing, for the usual remunera-
tion, which I believe was nearly half the value of the
commodities, to conduct them to the place. He accord-
ingly took them to Dalkey Island, where they found the
tobacco. It was subsequently rumoured, and I believe
the rumour was well-founded, that he was the master of
the vessel from which it had been landed; and as one
cargo had been successfully smuggled, and the vessels
had got away in safety, the reward, incident to discovering
the other cargo, was sufficient to pay the prime cost and
expenses of the two ventures, and to realize a considerable
profit on the whole transaction.

Lest the favorable issue of the illicit speculation which
I have last narrated should have the effect of encouraging

Excise and Customs Cases. 157

or even suggesting to any individual any connection with
such traffic, I would say that I noticed the successful
issue of the enterprise as an extraordinary and exceptional
incident. Detection is generally the result, with forfeiture
of the goods, fine, or imprisonment. About four years
before I retired from office, a young man, who had a fine
fishing boat at Howth, and who was engaged to be mar-
ried, went off to Jersey, and freighted his craft with to-
bacco and brandy. A revenue cutter was sent to meet
him, and he was captured within view of his native hill.
His vessel forfeited, his cargo seized, himself a prisoner,
and utter ruin substituted for his dazzling but delusive
hopes, he lapsed into the extreme of despair, jumped over,
board, and perished. His fate should deter, -more than a
casual and extraordinary escape should encourage, an in-
fraction of the revenue laws.

CHAPTER XVII.

JOHN SARGEANT — THE MAGISTERIAL OFFICES TWO

MURDERS ONE REPRIEVED DELAHUNT's

CRIMES.

I shall now present a magisterial reminiscence which
derives its greatest interest from antecedent occurrences,
the first of which brings me back to 1821, the year in
which George the Fourth visited Ireland. If I become a
little diffuse in my recollections of the period, it is because
they are strongly impressed on my meqnory and extra-
ordinary in their nature. Nothing could exceed the
universal homage tendered to the king. If it has been
termed " servile adulation" by some, I am not prepared
to insist on a complete exoneration of our national charac-
ter from such an imputation. I was then an undergra-
duate of the University of Dublin. On the day of the
Royal entry, we, the students, possessed ourselves of the
railings in front of the College, as affording an excellent
view of the procession. The rails were freshly painted,
and produced a most piebald appearance on our hands and
clothes, (blue coats with "welcome" buttons, white waist-
coats and trousers.) We rubbed some of the paint off
our hands on the faces and clothes of each other previous
to proceeding to the Castle with the University Address.

John Sargeant. 159

On entering the upper yard from Cork Hill, we marched
to the right by the footway, and had an opportunity, of
which we availed ourselves, of pulling the white caps off
some of the cooks and scullions who were viewing us from
the two lower windows in the farthest corner of the yard.
We jostled each other up the staircase, and during the
reading of the Address, amused ourselves by climbing on
each other's shoulders by turns in order to have a better
view. " Some of us, amongst whom I was one, suggested
rather loudly, that cakes and wine would be acceptable.
This produced a counter suggestion from some officials
of our immediate retirement from the State apartments.
On, reaching the hall, I observed the porters and other
attendants sternly expelling a tall female who was dressed
in deep black. She appeared in great affliction, but was
accorded no sympathy. No one thought that anyone else
had a right to be sad when the King was in Ireland. I
subsequently saw the " woman in black," at the review in
the Phoenix Park, vainly endeavouring to approach the
Royal presence. I was a spectator of the various public
demonstrations during the Royal sojourn, and enjoyed
the exciting pageantry as anyone of my age and tempera-
ment might be supposed to do. I pass, however, to the
day of the king's departure, the 3rd of September. On
the morning of that day, the place of his embarkation
was Dunleary, but on his arrival he changed its designa-
tion into "The Royal Harbour of Kingstown." He en-
tered his barge very near the place where the commemo-
rative column stands, and close to the inner end of the east-
ern pier. The "woman in black" somehow managed to
get very near. She endeavoured in vain to address him,
and just as the Royal barge was shoving off, she rushed
forward, holding a paper in her hand, and, in her frantic

160 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

haste, was precipitated into the water, from which, how-
ever, she was speedily rescued. The king saw enough of
her exertions and mishap to excite his curiosity, and or-
dered her communication to be received and laid before
him. It was a petition imploring the Royal mercy for
her husband, who was then under sentence of death in a
southern county, for burning his house with intent to de-
fraud an insurance company. Her prayer was favourably
considered. An act of clemency appeared peculiarly suit-
able to the termination of the Royal visit, and the sen-
tence on John Sargeant was commuted to transportation.
At the time to which I refer there was a considerable
portion of Kilmainham prison appropriated to the recep-
tion of convicts under sentence of transportation ; and in
a short time after the successful exertions of the " woman
in black" at Kingstown, John Sargeant was transmitted
to Kilmainham, there to remain until a sufficient number
of convicts were congregated to form a living freight for a
transport ship, and to transfer the future advantages of
their patriotic exertions to a southern hemisphere. I use
the term " patriotic" in the same sense as the accom-
plished pickpocket, Barrington, applied it in a prologue
spoken by him previous to the performance of a play at
Sydney by a company consisting exclusively of transported
thieves —

" True patriots we t for be it understood,
We left our country for our country's good."

At the time of Sargeant's arrival at Kilmainham, I had
a very near relative who was a member of the committee
or board which superintended the gaol, and I frequently
accompanied him to the prison. Sargeant was a person
of considerable educational acquirements. He managed
to ingratiate himself with some of the authorities of the

John Sargeant. 161

convict dep6t, especially with a Dr. Trevor. He was fre-
quently employed in copying documents, which business
he discharged most satisfactorily; and I have often seen
him thus engaged. When the other convicts were sent
off, some pretext or excuse was made available for retaining
him, and after the expiration of two years, he succeeded
in obtaining a pardon, and was released from confinement.
The "woman in black" did not witness his liberation;
she had previously succumbed to that fate which crime
inflicts most severely on those whose love clings to un-
worthy and guilty objects, even in suffering and disgrace ;
love which, like the ivy, will embrace a ruin with greater
tenacity than it would if the structure stood in its pristine
strength or in renovated beauty.

About three years more had elapsed, and I was residing
in London, attending the number of terms requisite for a
call to the Irish Bar. At Gray's Inn I was an adept in
all the duties then requisite for an admission to the status
of a learned barrister-at-law, and indeed I brought to their
inception no slight qualifications. I could decant old
crusted Port wine without a funnel, my carving was con-
sidered faultless, and the salads of my dressing would
gratify the palate of Apicius Ccelius. In that society
there was far greater intercourse between the Bar and the
students than I ever observed at our King's Inns. I fre-
quently derived great pleasure* and, I believe, no slight
advantage, from the conversation of those whose deep
research and matured experience qualified them to utter
words of wisdom and suggestions of prudence to their
juniors. I was fond of attending the courts, and criminal
trials possessed for me a peculiar attraction. One day I
sat close to two barristers whom I had occasionally met
previously. They spoke with great interest of a trial

M

1 62 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

which was expected to be held at the Old Bailey on the
following morning, and suggested to me to be present at
it, and I followed their advice. The prisoner was alleged
to have been concerned in various frauds, but the specific
offence for which he was tried was for obtaining upwards
of ^800 under false pretences and representations, and
by means of forged documents. It appeared that a West

Indian Creole, Mr. D , had arrived in London some

months previous, possessed of an immense fortune. He
indulged in habits of extravagance most frivolous and
ostentatious. He fell into the error of considering fast
society good society, and formed acquaintances and esta-
blished confidences which a very moderate share of dis-
cretion would have made him avoid. Mr. D had

seen a lady, a member of a noble family, whose ancient
lineage connected them with the most remote periods of
English history, and in which gentle blood was thoroughly

united with personal worth. Mr. D- became deeply

enamoured, and made no secret of his admiration, but he
could not procure an introduction. His tropical tempera-
ment spurned all patience and prudence, and an Irish
gentleman, Mr. John Sibthorpe, took him under his
guidance and protection, and promised to realize all his
visions of matrimonial bliss. Sibthorpe advised that the
lady's maid should be approached, and enlisted, with an
ample bounty, in the Creole's service, and that she might
be induced, in a short time, to convey letters to the adored
one, who could not long continue indifferent to the suit
of an amiable, wealthy, and disinterested lover. The bait
was swallowed. One hundred sovereigns were confided
to Sibthorpe to be transmitted to Kitty, and a note in
reply, purporting to be written by her, acknowledged the
Creole's generosity and promised her best exertions.

John Sargeant. 163

More money was sent and more notes were received.
The lady was described as expressing a lively and grateful
interest in the man who had manifested such an attach-
ment. This encouraging communication produced a most
respectful but ardent letter from the lover to the lady, and

a further douceur to the maid. In due time Mr. D

received a note couched in terms most favourable to his
suit, and professing to be written by the fair hand which
he panted to possess. Enraptured beyond expression, he
imagined himself at the summit of his wishes, when he
casually and suddenly learned the afflicting intelligence
that the lady's nuptials with a noble suitor were fixed for
an early day. Unable to restrain his feelings, he rushed
into her paternal hall as she was about to enter her car-
riage, and kneeling before her, besought her pity for a
broken-hearted man to whom she had kindly written.

Mr. D was interrupted in his expostulations by being

kicked out of doors by the footmen, and he soon dis-
covered that Sibthorpe had forged the correspondence on
# the part of both maid and mistress. The delinquent was
apprehended, prosecuted, and convicted. I heard him
sentenced to two years' imprisonment with hard labor,
and as he stood at the bar I had no difficulty in recog-
nising the object of anxious solicitude to "the woman
in black," the pardoned incendiary, the profligate John
Sargeant.

In two or three months after the trial of this swindler,
I returned to Ireland, and engaged in professional pursuits,
to which I devoted my attention for about twelve years.
I then became a magistrate of police. In 1844, I was
doing duty in College Street Police Court for the late
Alderman Tyndall, who was suffering from severe indis-
position. An application was made to me by a director

164 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

and secretary of one of the principal banks in the city, I
think it was " The Royal." They were accompanied by
their solicitor, and it appeared that a bill of exchange for
«^ioo, purporting to be the acceptance of a gentleman of
high position in the county of Wicklow, had been ten-
dered for discount on the previous day, and that they had
ascertained it to be a forgery. A close description was
given of the accused, who had been told to call at the
bank at two o'clock. An information was sworn and a
warrant issued, and the delinquent was apprehended in
the vestibule of the bank, whither he had the audacity or
folly to proceed on his nefarious design. On being placed
before me, he stated his name to be John Sharkey, and
that he had recently returned from Oporto, where for
several years he had been employed as a clerk in an
English house engaged in the wine trade. I remanded
the case for the production of the alleged acceptor, and
during the intervening time very conclusive evidence was
obtained as to the body of the bill having been written by
the prisoner. At his final committal, I told him that,
although I never before had any magisterial cognisance of
him, I had no difficulty in recognising the person whom
I had seen convicted at the Old Bailey, and who had
previously been an inmate of Kilmainham, after having
the sentence of capital punishment commuted to transpor-
tation. The latter punishment was subsequently awarded
to him in Green Street, and thus, as far as I am aware,
was closed the career of Mr. John Sargeant.

THE MAGISTERIAL OFFICES.

My magisterial office was held for twenty years and
four months. During that time I was a Justice of the
Peace for the city and county of Dublin, and for the

Two Murders. 165

counties of Meath, Kildare, and Wicklow. The division
appurtenant to the Head Office comprised, at the time of
my appointment, (in January, 1841,) about one-half of
the southern moiety of Dublin, in which were contained
the poor and very populous districts known as "The
Liberties." In about six years after, we were required to
supply a magistrate daily to the Police Court at Kings-
town, for the discharge of the business incident to the
townships of Kingstown, Blackrock, and Dalkey ; and in
about three years later, the entire of the Metropolitan
Police district south of the Liffey was assigned and con-
solidated into one division, in which my two colleagues
and myself had to discharge the magisterial duties. Per-
sons apprehended in the police district for offences com-
mitted in other parts of Ireland were brought before us to
be remanded or transmitted, according to circumstances.
I mention these particulars to enable my readers more
fully to appreciate the extraordinary fact, that during the
period which I have specified there never was brought
before us an individual charged with a capital offence. I
do not mean to induce an impression on the reader's
mind that our locality was free from crimes of magnitude.
Two murders occurred in our division during the time
referred to, but in each case the culprit was committed by
the coroner.

One of them was in the city, and the other in the
county portion of our district. The former case was the
deprivation of a wife's life by the hand of her husband.
He was a house-painter, a journeyman bearing an excel-
lent character for knowledge of his business, industry,
honesty, and strict sobriety. She was the daughter of a
tradesman in Rathfarnham, and her person was exceed-
ingly comely. Very soon after marriage, she lapsed into

1 66 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

habits of the grossest intemperance, so as to acquire the
soubriquet amongst her neighbours of "the drunken
beauty." She was a frequent, though involuntary, visitor
to the police court for having been found " drunk and
incapable" in the public streets. One evening her hus-
band found her completely intoxicated, and he discovered
that his best clothes had been pawned to furnish the
means for her inordinate indulgence. She replied to his
complaints and reproaches in abusive and opprobrious
terms, until exasperated beyond the control of reason, the
unfortunate man seized an old sword-stick which hap-
pened to be at hand, and with that weapon he pierced her
eleven times through the body, three of the stabs perfo-
rating the heart. Curiosity led me to visit the scene of
the sanguinary termination of a union which commenced
in ardent love, and might have lasted long and happily, if
every hope of domestic peace and enjoyment had not been
subverted by intemperance. I was present at the inquest,
which resulted in a verdict of " wilful murder " against the
husband. He was subsequently convicted at the Com-
mission Court, and received sentence of death. I exerted
myself in procuring memorials to the Executive for a
commutation of the capital punishment, and in an inter-
view with the Chief Secretary and the law officers I
argued that the multiplicity of the wounds inflicted on
the wretched woman denoted a sudden burst of uncon-
trollable passion, and not a premeditated design of deli-
berate and malicious destruction of life. I expressed an
opinion that one mortal stab would indicate more malice
than could be inferred from the eleven furious blows.
My representations were received with courteous atten-
tion, and the applications for mercy were acceded to ; but
the unfortunate man died in the Richmond Bridewell in

Two Murders. 167

less than six months after the transaction. His heart
was broken. I may mention here, that whilst I was a
crown prosecutor on the Leinster circuit, and during my
tenure of magisterial office, I never knew of an applica-
tion for mercy to be made to the Executive that did not
receive the fullest and fairest consideration, and I believe
that all the Governments of which I have had any know-
ledge or experience were equally desirous to avail them-
selves of any opportunity for tempering justice with mercy.
The other murder which occurred in our division was
perpetrated in December, 1841, by a young man named
Delahunt. In the character of this culprit there was an
amount of cool, dispassionate, and deliberate predilection
for crime, surpassing any details in the pages of the
"Newgate Calendar," or the "Archives of the Parisian
Police/' About one year previous to the last-mentioned
date, a poor Italian organ-grinder was found lying close
to the wall of Rathfarnham demesne, on the roadside near
Rathfarnham bridge. His throat had been cut, and a belt
which he usually wore round his waist, and in which it
was supposed that his scanty savings were stowed, had
been taken away. A man named Cooney, a tinker, had
been seen in the immediate vicinity of the place, and he
had been taken into custody on suspicion, by the constabu-
lary. An inquest was being held, when Delahunt accosted
Colonel Browne, the Commissioner of the Dublin Metro-
politan Police, in the Castle yard, and told him that he
(Delahunt) had seen the murder committed. The Colonel
immediately directed one of his sergeants to take the man
out to the coroner, as the offence had been committed in
the county, and outside the police district. On being pro-
duced at the inquest, Delahunt swore that he had seen
Cooney murder the Italian. A reward of twenty-five

1 68 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

pounds had been advertised for the conviction of the per-
, petrator of the fearful assassination, and that accounted
for Delahunt's promptitude in offering his testimony. On
the trial of Cooney at the ensuing commission, the jury
disbelieved Delahunt, and acquitted the tinker. I am
satisfied that they arrived at a proper conclusion, and I
strongly suspect that if Delahunt really knew anything
about the crime, it was owing to himself being the per-
petrator.

In about four months after the trial of Cooney, there
was a contested election in the city of Dublin, at which it
was deemed expedient to utilise the canvassing abilities of
a considerable number of coal-porters. These energetic
advocates of liberty took considerable liberties with such
voters as they found recusant to their wishes, or even tardy
in complying with their demands. They were provided
with hackney cars, and provided themselves with cudgels.
Individual resistance or even indifference to their behests
occasioned very forcible applications to the heads and
shoulders of any elector, and when they brought him to
the hustings, his attention was invited to a reserved body
specially stationed in the vicinity of the polling booths
from whom he was informed that he might expect very
strong censures on his want of patriotism, if he voted on
the wrong side. After the election, some prosecutions
were instituted for threats and actual assaults on voters,
and there was one case in which a retired military gentle-
man had been dragged from his bed in a state of illness,
and violently assaulted with cudgels. A reward was
offered for the discovery and conviction of his assailants,
and Delahunt at once came forward. He pointed out, on
the quay, six coal-porters as the guilty parties, swore that
he had heard them directed to go to the gentleman's resi-

DelahunVs Crimes. 169

dence and bring him to the poll, and that he followed them
and witnessed the entire transaction. They were com-
mitted for trial at the Commission Court, and there
Delahunt most positively identified the six. One of them
had a large hare-lip, and the party who had been assaulted
swore that* the fellow with the split lip was not present at
the outrage. Another of the accused established the fact,
by the evidence of constables and turnkeys, that he had
been convicted on the day previous to the attack on the
voter, and that he was in gaol for drunkenness and dis-
orderly conduct at the time when Delahunt swore to
having seen him assaulting Captain C . The six coal-
porters were acquitted, and Delahunt' s sanguine expecta-
tions of an ample reward were completely disappointed.

On the 20th of December, 1841, a little boy named
Thomas Patrick Maguire, eight years of age, was playing
with some other children in Blackhall Row. The children
were of the humblest class, and Maguire was bare-footed.
Delahunt, having previously ascertained his name, and
that he lived with his mother in Plunket Street, told him
that he had been sent to bring him to her. The poor boy
went with him, but was not brought home. Delahunt
took him to a distant part of the city, and called at his
(Delahunt's) brother's lodgings in Little Britain Street,
where he stated to his sister-in-law that Maguire was a
stray child whom the police had given into his care to
take home. He sharpened two knives at his brother's,
and after his departure with the child, one of the knives
was missed. In the meantime, he brought the little fellow
across the city, bought some cakes for him, and took him
into a lonely lane in the suburbs, close by Upper Baggot
Street, and there between seven and eight o'clock in the
evening, he cut the child's throat. In a very short time,

170 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

the body was found, and taken to a police-station in order
to have an inquest held. Delahunt reappeared, and stated
that he had passed the end of the lane, and had seen a
woman throw the little boy down, and that she passed
close to him, and went hurriedly away. He said that he
had no idea of the child having been killed at the time,
but thought that the woman had chastised him for some
offence or naughty trick. He named a woman, and de-
clared that he could swear to her. Unluckily for him, the
woman whom he designated had been very sick during
the entire day, and confined to bed, to the positive know-
ledge of several friends and neighbours. Some persons
recognised Delahunt as having been with the boy, and
amongst them was the woman from whom he had bought
the cakes. In a field adjoining the lane where the corpse
was discovered, a knife was found, which was sworn to
by his sister-in-law as having been sharpened by him, and
subsequently missed. She also identified the body of the
child as that of the boy whom Delahunt had with him at
her residence. He was finally tried and convicted of the
murder on the 14th January, 1842, and was executed on
the 5th February. He made a full confession of his guilt,
and acknowledged that he had falsely accused Cooney the
tinker of murdering the Italian, and that his evidence
against the coal-porters was totally unfounded. He dis-
claimed all malice or illwill against the poor child, Maguire.
He declared that he only wanted to be rewarded for con-
victing some person of murder, and that he could not ori-
ginate such a charge without the preliminary procurement
of a corpse. In a volume of Dickens's periodical, All the
Year Round, and under the title of " Old Stories re-told,"
there is a full narration of murders committed by Burke,
Bishop, and Hare, for the purpose of selling the bodies of

Delahunt1 s Crimes. 171

their victims to anatomical schools. Each distinct case of
crime perpetrated by those miscreants was of less aggra-
vated turpitude than the offence for which Delahunt was
hanged, for they contemplated the destruction of the
sufferer as the consummation of a design, but Delahunt
deprived one individual of life on the speculation that he
would thereby be enabled to obtain a reward, perhaps a
trifling one, by consigning another fellow-creature to the
precincts of a gaol, and ultimately to the ignominious hor-
rors of a public execution, for a crime committed by him-
self, and imputed, by his deliberate perjury, to an innocent
being, whose hand was unstained and whose heart was
untainted. For a considerable time after his execution, he
was reputed, especially amongst the humbler classes, to
have been a police spy, and to have been in receipt of fre-
quent subsidies from the detective office. He was never
produced in any court as a witness at the instance of the
police. In the case of the coal-porters, he applied to me
for funds to enable him to remain in Dublin until the trial
was held and I refused his application. He repeatedly
offered superintendents and inspectors to swear to cases
of illicit or irregular traffic in liquors, but they never be-
lieved his statements, nor would they, in any instance,
avail themselves of his proffered testimony. No villainy
could be more unprofitable than Delahunt's systematic
attempts to support himself by false accusations of others.
I feel perfectly satisfied that, instead of deriving the wages
of an informer or spy from the metropolitan police or from
the constabulary, he never cost the public one penny be-
yond what sufficed for his maintenance in gaol whilst
under committal for his diabolical offence, and to provide
the halter which he most thoroughly merited.

The contemplation of such a character may not be

172 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

unproductive of some salutary results. Whilst we ac-
knowledge and admire the blessed tendencies of the most
elevated virtues, a wholesome and very instructive lesson
may be derived from the contrast exhibited and the even-
tual disgrace and destruction almost invariably incident to
a complete lapse into utter depravity.

CHAPTER XVIII.

MURDER OF MR. LITTLE — DETECTIVE INEFFICIENCY
INDIVIDUAL EFFICIENCY A FALSE ACCUSA-
TION EXPOSED EXTRAORDINARY GRATITUDE

A SALUTARY REFORMATION A CHARGE OF FE-
LONY POOR PUSS, WHO SHOT HER? — BAXTER

AND BARNES.

I shall now advert to a most atrocious murder which
was committed in the Metropolitan Police District in
1856. It occurred in the Northern division, and I was
requested by the present learned and worthy Chief Magis-
trate, Mr. J. W. O'Donnell, to assist in its investigation.
Mr. George Little, the Cashier of the Midland Great
Western Railway, had not returned to his residence on
the evening of the 14th November, and on the following
morning, his relatives enquired for him at the office in the
station. The office door was broken open, and he was
found lying on his face in a pool of blood, his throat
having been cut from ear to car. At first the impression
was that he had committed suicide, for a considerable sum
of money was on his desk. However, it was ascertained
by an examination of the body, that many very severe
injuries had been inflicted, and that the scull had been
fractured by blows from a heavy blunt instrument. A

174 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

coroner's inquest returned a verdict of " Wilful murder by
some person or persons unknown," and a large reward
was advertised for the discovery and conviction of the per-
petrator. No arrest was made on suspicion until the 2ist
of December, when a person was brought before the
Northern Police Court, but was very speedily discharged.
I refrain from mentioning the name, because there is no
doubt that the charge was unfounded. It was rumoured
that an experienced London detective had been specially
engaged to afford his assistance in the furtherance of
justice, but nothing of importance transpired until the
26th June, 1857, when a woman, named Spollen, informed
a superintendent of police that her husband, James Spollen,
was the murderer, and that he had concealed the bank-
notes which he took from Mr. Little's office in a certain
place immediately adjoining a small house which he occu-
pied on the railway premises, he being in the Company's
employment as a painter and cleanser. The superin-
tendent immediately arrested Spollen, but kept him in his
own custody from ten o'clock in the morning until nearly
ten o'clock at night, when he brought him to a police
1 station-house and gave him in charge for the murder, pro-
ducing the wife of the accused as the charging party.
The place indicated by the woman was immediately
searched, and a considerable sum in bank-notes was dis-
covered concealed in an ashpit, and packed in a small firkin,
which had previously contained white paint. Some money
in silver was also found in a canvas bag deposited in a
cistern, and the utmost publicity was given to the searches,
the results, and the source from whence the information
concerning them was derived. Hi% wife's evidence against
Spollen was properly rejected by the magistrates; and
although the case was sent for trial on other grounds, the

Murder of Mr. Little. 175

result was an acquittal. During the magisterial investiga-
tion, I suggested that a portion of the Royal Canal close
to the railway premises should be drained and searched,
as I considered it very probable that some of the imple-
ments used in the murder had been thrown into the water.
When the search commenced, the superintendent an-
nounced that whoever found the razor should receive a
guinea. A razor was accordingly found in the mud almost
immediately, but it was manifest that it had not been there
until the search was directed, for it was perfectly free from
rust or corrosion. However, another razor was found, and
the name of " Spollen *' was on the handle. A fitter's
hammer was also taken out of the canal, and it was more
than probable that the razor and hammer had been in
fatal proximity to the throat and head of the unfortunate
George Little. After the trial, some of the London papers
commented in the strongest terms on the ignorance and
stupidity evinced in the preliminary proceedings of the
police officer to whom the case had been assigned. The
bungling, blundering incompetency which characterised
the transaction was described as truly Irish. They also
complained that the English detectives who had been sent
to Dublin were thwarted and impeded in all their efforts
by the members of the Dublin force. I fully admit that
the case was thoroughly mismanaged, but I must add that
the person most prominently engaged, the superintendent,
was an Englishman, and I deny that English detectives
had to encounter Irish jealousy, as no person of the
description was sent to Dublin in reference to that crime,
or indeed in any instance within my recollection, without
meeting a cordial, perhaps I might venture to say, a
fraternal, reception from the Dublin Police. I may add
that whenever our constables were sent to the English

176 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

metropolitan district they invariably returned with a
grateful recollection of the kindness manifested towards
them.

In the case to which I have last adverted, and in some
others which came under my observation, I attribute the
failure of justice to the ignorance and consequent incapa-
city of members of the police force or of the constabulary
engaged. However, I consider it only just to remark on
the paucity of instruction afforded to constables for detec-
tive purposes. Activity of body, corporeal strength, general
mental intelligence, and moderate educational acquire-
ments, are considered sufficient qualifications for the dis-
charge of detective duties, and further teaching is left to be
acquired by future experience. In several continental
states, reports of important criminal trials are arranged for
the use of the police by an archiviste, and instruction is
thereby afforded as to the means by which guilt was
established, or, perhaps, to the mistakes or rash preci-
pitancy by which justice was defeated, or innocence
accused. The essential difference between our police and
that which I have observed in France, Belgium, and
Rhenish Prussia, is exhibited in the speedy arrests of
suspected persons here, compared with the tardiness of
apprehension in the latter countries, unless the prisoner is
actually caught in flagrante delicto. The moment that a
suspicion is entertained in Ireland, the supposed delinquent
is seized, and thereby all chance of obtaining evidence by his
subsequent acts is completely lost* The foreign system
is to watch him night and day. This frequently eventuates
in detecting him concealing property, weapons, or blood-
stained clothes, or suddenly quitting his abode without
any previous intimation, and perhaps under an assumed
name. If we are to have an efficient police, we will find

Detective Inefficiency. 177

. — - £.

it indispensably necessary to keep well-informed, shrewd,
patient, watchful detectives. I have known many who
contended that a constable should adopt no disguise, but
that, in the uniform of the force to which he belongs, he
should perambulate the streets, suppress disorders, appre-
hend offenders, and when directed to execute warrants, he
should go in search of the culprit openly and avowedly.
To such I would suggest, that if in the organization of a
police there is anything unconstitutional, it is rather to be
found in the adoption of a uniform than in the attire of
" plain clothes." The old common-law constable had no
uniform ; he went, and came, and mixed amongst other
men, without a number on his collar or a crown on his
buttons, and still his office and its functions were not
denounced as unconstitutional. A policeman in uniform
may patrol our streets, suppress riots, restrain indecency,
and apprehend the pickpocket or drunkard ; but it is not
by such that the progress of the swindler is to be traced
and stopped, the haunts of the burglar ascertained, or that
the minute circumstances, trifling to the casual observer,
but amounting, in the aggregate, to perfect conviction,
are to be discovered and concatenated to establish the
fearful guHt of the murderer.

Having remarked the inefficiency manifested by the
officer to whom the management of the murder case at
the railway was assigned, I think it fair to state, that
amongst some other members of our detective division I
have known instances in which great sagacity and promp-
titude were evinced. Shortly after my appointment to the
magistracy, an old man died in a lodging-house in Bishop
Street. The place in which he had lived for nine or ten
years was a small room without the slightest indication of
comfort or even of cleanliness. Nevertheless, he was

N

178 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

reputed to have been possessed of a considerable sum of
money, which was supposed to be hoarded in some part
of his humble habitation. Two of his relatives made
oath that they believed him to have accumulated some
hundreds of pounds; that they suspected and believed
that the cash had been purloined; and they demanded
that the house should be strictly searched. I gave a
search-warrant to a detective named James Brennan, who
proceeded to the house, and stated his function to the
landlady. She declared that the man had been miserably
poor, that he died in complete destitution, and that they
had to bury him in a parish coffin. Brennan searched the
premises most rigidly, but the expected treasure was not
forthcoming. Some of the landlady's female neighbours
expressed great indignation at "any honest woman's
place being ransacked after such a manner." One of
the garrulous sympathizers declared that " so far was the
landlady from having a lot of money, that she was hard
set to live, and that the very night the old man died, the
poor woman had to pledge her best feather bed, at Booth's
the pawnbroker's, for a few shillings." Brennan took his
leave, and immediately went to the pawn-office. He had
the bed produced, and observed that the stitching on one
seam was fresher in appearance than on the others. He
ripped the seam, and in the middle of the feathers he
found seven notes, each of a ^100, and two of ^Szo.
The affair eventuated in the money being divided amongst
the kindred of the deceased. The landlady denied all
knowledge of the money, and insisted that the old man'
must have concealed it himself. She was not prosecuted,
but Brennan's intelligence was rewarded with one of the
£%o notes.
The residence of the late Dr. Graves in Merrion Square

Individual Efficiency. 179

was robbed several years ago, by the thiePs entrance at
the windows of the front drawing-room, which had been
left unfastened. The balcony did not appear accessible by
ordinary means, but was easily attained from that of the
adjoining house. Brennan was sent to examine the
premises, and he at once perceived the traces left by a
soiled foot in climbing by the pillars of the hall-door next
to Dr. Graves's ; he then walked over to the rails of the
square, and found marks which satisfied him that some
person had recently crossed; amongst the bushes there
were a few heaps of twigs, the parings or prunings of the
shrubs ; $nd beneath one of them he discovered an exca-
vation or cache, in which was a quantity of the stolen
property. At night he lay down at a little distance from
the place, and was not long there before a person ap-
proached and proceeded to take up the property. At the
rails he was giving it to an associate, when, on a signal
from Brennan, some other constables came forward, and
the burglars were secured. They were subsequently con-
victed and transported.

A FALSE ACCUSATION EXPOSED.

»

I have known several instances in which innocence has
derived complete protection, even from the inconvenience
of any arrest or personal interference, from the tact and
intelligence of members of that force, to which a most
greedy appetite for convictions is freely attributed.

About ten years before I became a magistrate, a con-
siderable portion of the County of Cork was a scene of
disturbances, which might be fairly termed insurrectionary.
Amongst other outrages which were then perpetrated, was
the murder of a clergyman, the Rev. Mr. Hewson, who
was shot on the high road, and in the open day, in the

180 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

vicinity of Bandon. No clue was obtained whereby the
guilty parties could be discovered, and the offence has
never been punished. In the year 1842, a soldier in a
regiment stationed at Fredericton, New Brunswick, stated
to his officer that he had been concerned in the crime, and
he named two persons as his accomplices; the man was
sent home and brought up before me for examination. A
detective informed me that he had been, at the period of
the murder, orderly to the constabulary officer at Bandon ;
that he had been at the scene of the offence very soon after
its commission, and that he wished to be present at the
examination of the self-accused prisoner. To this I
acceded, and the soldier detailed that on the day and at the
hour when the clergyman was murdered, he and two
men, whom he named, met the unfortunate gentleman on
his way home, that one of them seized his horse, and the
other shot him with a blunderbuss; that they immediately
fled, and he made a statement of where and how they
spent the remainder of the day. The detective, whose
name, if I recollect rightly, was Benson, by my permission
asked him, " Which of you backed the horse, and over-
turned the gig into the ditch at the road-side ? " to which
the reply was, " I did." He then asked, * Which of you

cut the traces ? " The response was, " L did." He

proceeded, "Which of you struck the poor woman who
saw the murder, for screaming?" He was answered,

" p did." The interrogator then declared to me that

the fellow was telling a tissue of falsehoods, for the horse
had not been backed into the grip, and the vehicle was not
a gig, but an outside jaunting-car ; that the traces had not
been cut, neither was any woman near the place assaulted
by the murderers. Subsequent inquiries established the
fact, that one of the persons accused in the soldier's

Extraordinary Gratitude. 181

confession was, at the period of the murder, apprentice to
a cabinet-maker in Cork, a reference to whom and to
whose books showed that the party sought to be implicated
had been in his master's concerns during the day of the
assassination, and for a considerable time previous to and
after the transaction ; and it appeared that the statement
had been made for the mere purpose of its fabricator being
sent home from service in a regiment with which he was
discontented, and in which he had acquired a most dis-
reputable character.

EXTRAORDINARY GRATITUDE.

The discharge of magisterial duties with firmness and
impartiality occasionally evokes expressions of approbation
from those by whom proceedings may have been instituted
or closely observed, and may even elicit a complimentary
notice from an editorial pen. A deep sense of gratitude
for the exercise of magisterial functions is not so fre-
quently avowed or ascribed. I am therefore disposed to
bring before the reader the circumstances which, in a very
public place, produced a compliance with a request of
mine, accompanied by the expression, " Anything that I
could do for you, Mr. Porter, if it was even to put my
hands under your feet, should be a duty and a pleasure,
for I can never be too grateful to such a worthy magistrate
as you." This was said by a station-master of the Great
Southern and Western Railway named Duffy, in 1851, in
reply to an application for a coupee carriage for a friend of
mine who was going to Cork with his wife and daughter.
The guard of the train was directed by Mr. Duffy to be
most attentive to the party. My friend subsequently
remarked to the guard that the station-master evinced a
great anxiety to please me. " So he ought," was the

182 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

reply; "the poor fellow is married to a real incarnate devil,
and Mr. Porter sends her to gaol whenever she is brought
before him." Habitual intemperance, with concomitant
violence, occasioned the frequent incarcerations for which
the delinquent's husband felt so grateful*

A SALUTARY REFORMATION.

About the time to which the last anecdote refers, I was
applied to, on a Monday afternoon, by a gentleman who
asked and obtained a private interview. He was in a high
social position, and possessed an ample fortune. He
stated that his wife had lapsed into habits of intemper-
ance which rendered his life wretched, and estranged him
from association with his friends, to whom he could not
bear to have her deplorable tendencies exposed. When
inebriated she was excessively violent, and did not hesitate
to assault the domestics, and that on the preceding even-
ing she had assaulted, in his presence, a female servant,
with a poker. I told him to have her summoned by the
servant for the following Thursday, and I had three o'clock
mentioned as the hour for hearing the complaint. The
lady did not attend, and on proof of the service of the
summons and a sworn information of the assault, I issued
a warrant for her apprehension. She was brought before
me after all the other business of the next day had been
finished, and I required her to give bail in two sureties to
keep the peace, and in default of such, to be imprisoned
for three months. At Grangegorman, she was not com-
pelled to associate with the other prisoners, and the
matron's attention was invited to the case. At the termi-
nation of the second month, her husband, who had re-
ceived frequent letters from her, felt confident that she had
become reformed, and I discharged her at his instance

A Charge of Felony. 183

and on his surety. I afterwards met them frequently in
society. I have seen her at viceregal parties, and never
observed the slightest appearance of, or tendency to, her
former indulgence. I do not believe that she ever re-
lapsed ; but whilst I am happy to notice a complete refor-
mation, my satisfaction is alloyed by the reflection that it
was the only instance of such a change that I ever knew
to occur.

A CHARGE OF FELONY.

I was frequently invited to the hospitable and joyous
table of my cousin, the late Anthony Hawkins of Leopards-
town, Stillorgan. On one occasion he entertained about
a score of guests, of whom I was unquestionably the
senior. Choice viands and generous wines sustained and
stimulated the utmost hilarity ; and when some of the
company expressed apprehensions that further indulgence
might bring them under the cognizance of the police, the
host remarked that they would have a friend in court, for
it could not be supposed that the jolly old magistrate
would lean heavily in the morning on those who had been
his boon companions of the preceding evening, and that
each of them would get off for a song, which he would
suggest to be given in advance. Two young fellows re-
minded me that they lived on Merchants' Quay, and as
that was in my division, they entertained no fears. The
company separated in time to avail themselves of the latest
train to Dublin, and the two sparks travelled in the same
carriage with me. Neither of them was in the slightest
degree "the worse for liquor ;" and when we parted at
Harcourt Street Station we shook hands, and one said,
"Good night, your worship, I hope you'll not be hard
on us to-morrow." Next morning I was on duty at

184 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

Exchange Court, and when the charge sheets from Chan-
cery Lane were laid before me, I was astonished beyond
description to find my companions who had bespoken my
leniency brought forward on an accusation of Felony.
A constable stated that he had seen one of the prisoners
get on the shoulders of the other, and pull down a large
gilt salmon, which formed the sign over the door of a
fishing-tackle establishment on Essex Quay. On taking
down the salmon, they were crossing over to the quay
wall when he intercepted them, and with the aid of another
policeman and a civilian, he captured and brought them
to the station-house. Another witness proved that the
prisoners stopped at the door over which the sign was
suspended, and that one of them said, " Let us give the
poor salmon a swim." This evidence induced me to
believe that the transaction was not a deliberate theft, but
a wanton, mischievous freak. The proprietor of the shop
expressed the same opinion, and urged a summary adju-
dication. They offered to pay for the sign, as it had been
broken bv an accidental fall ; and the court was convulsed
with laughter when the proprietor observed that the salmon
had been taken " out of the lawful season." The spree
cost the two delinquents the moderate sum of six pounds.
The subsequent banterings which they had to endure
amongst their festive associates completely deterred them
from any further manifestation of fishing propensities.

POOR PUSS ! WHO SHOT HER ?

A friend to whose inspection I submitted the preceding
pages suggested that as they detailed many mistakes and
peccadillos of others, a reader might consider it an agreeable
variety if 1 inserted a couple of errors peculiarly mine
own. In accordance with his opinion I have to mention

Poor Puss ! Who shot her ? 185

that shortly after I assumed magisterial duties at Kings-
town, the proprietor of an extensive hotel in the immediate
vicinity of the police-court received several letters threaten-
ing speedy and fatal violence to him and his family, unless
certain demands on the part of his waiters, postillions,
and carters, were complied with. He was justly incensed
and alarmed at such threats, and submitted the obnoxious
documents to the consideration of the authorities and to
the detective agencies of the police force. His garden
wall was close to the yard of the police-court, between
which and the sea no building at that time intervened.
It happened that an official, connected with the fiscal
business of the county of Meath, had embezzled a con-
siderable sum and attempted to abscond, but was captured
on shipboard at Kingstown, and committed for further
examination. The delinquent had provided himself with
a most ample outfit for emigration and residence abroad ;
and the articles found in his possession were deposited in
a room adjoining the police-court and overlooking the
hotel garden. Amongst them was a rifled air-gun of
great power, and after the business of the court had been
disposed of, I was, along with the chief clerk, Mr. Lees,
indulging my curiosity by pumping and discharging the
weapon. There was a bag of small bullets, of which we
directed two or three at the wall of the yard. An unfor-
tunate cat chanced to make her appearance in the hotel
garden at a distance of fifty or sixty yards, and exclaiming
that " I would give puss a start," I sent a bullet in her
direction, without the slightest expectation that the shot
would be fatal. The cat fell dead on the garden walk ;
we closed the window, locked up the gun and bullets, and
departed. Next morning, I was about to commence the
charge-sheets, when the proprietor of the hotel applied

1 86 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

most earnestly for a private interview. He was greatly
agitated, and declared that he felt convinced of his life
being in danger from those who threatened to assassinate
him. " Your worship/' he added, " they are manifestly
bent on mischief, for our poor cat was found dead in the
garden, and on examination she was found to have been
shot. The fellow who killed her, did so only to show that
I might expect the same treatment if an opportunity of-
fered for shooting me." The poor man little knew that
the weapon which inflicted the injury was in the apart-
ment where he was expressing his direful apprehensions,
and that he was seeking the sympathies and protection of
him who had done the mischief. I took means, through
a particular channel, to disabuse his mind of the feeling
that the cat's fate was intended to precede a similar ter-
mination to his own existence.

BAXTER AND BARNES.

The carriage complaints were usually disposed of at the
Head Police Office in a court upon the the ground floor.
The light was derived from windows opening on a yard,
and they were so near to the magisterial bench as to en-
able its occupant frequently to hear observations and con-
versations of an extraordinary nature. It was my custom
to remain after the carriage cases were heard, and when
the criminal charges or summonses were, in the upper
court, brought before some of my colleagues. I was thus
enabled, in comparative quietude, to prepare reports on
memorials referred by the executive or revenue authorities,
or perhaps, to enjoy an occasional leisure hour over a
magazine or newspaper. When the upper court was
crowded, persons would betake themselves to the yard and

Baxter and Barnes. 187

frequently engage in conversation close to the windows,
which in warm weather were generally open; but there
was no indication to those outside of the presence inside
of a listener to their communications. In the summer of
1854, 1 was sitting alone, and reading the latest news from
the Crimea, when two women took their stand outside
the open window, and one of them proceeded to impart
her sorrows to her sympathizing friend. At the time to
which I refer, recruiting was very rife in Dublin, and it
was not uncommon for us to attest one hundred persons
in a week. The utmost vigilance was exercised to prevent
or detect desertion, and in the apprehension of deserters, a
police sergeant named Barnes had particularly exerted
himself, and had consequently received rewards to a con-
siderable amount. This was the reason uhy his name
was introduced into the narrative which I happened to
overhear, and which I inscribed on a blank leaf of an inter-
leaved statute. There is not one original idea of mine in
the production, and I should not submit it to my readers
if I did not consider it essential to the appreciation of the
criticism subsequently pronounced by Mr. Barnes.

Musha ! Katey Doyle, do you know what ?

Shure Jem has took the shilling,
And off he 's gone to Aldershot,

It 's there he '11 get the drilling.
The polis now along the Coombe*

No more will be resisted,
And Fordham's Alley 's all in gloom

Since Jem has took and listed.
So have you got a dhrop at all ?

My sperrits is so sinking,
I do not think I'd stop all

If wanst I take to drinking.

* A long thoroughfare in the Liberties of Dublin, supposed to have been
originally called "The Come."

1 88 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

The night afore he wint to list

I cribb'd his half week's wages,
And when the two 'r three hogsf he miss'd

At wanst he wint outrageous.
Next mornin' to the Linen Hall

He goes and takes the bounty ;
It would not be so bad at all

If he had join'd the County ;
For they 're not gone to foreign parts,

And won't encounter dangers,
But, just as if to break our hearts,

He join'd the Connaught Rangers.

The night afore he wint away

He came to bid "good-bye" there.
I thought to get him for to stay,

That thrick we couldn't try there,
For Barnes was watching, skulking round

When Jem and I were parting —
That polisman would make a pound

On any boy desarting.
I'm shure I'd like to take a quart

Of Jameson's distillin',
To drink bad luck to all his sort —

The tallow-faced ould villin.

So Jem is gone to Aldershot,

Where 'tis I've no idea ;
Of coorse it is some desprate spot,

Nigh-hand to the Crimea.
There 's some entrench'd upon a hill,

Some hutted in a valley;
I'm sure Jem would be better, still

At home in Fordham's Alley.
For the Cossacks now he'll have to stob,

Or shoot 'em holus bolus ;
I'm shure 'twould be an easier job

At home to face the polis.

t A term used for English shillings, which previous to the change of
currency, in 1825, passed in Ireland for thirteen pence each.

Baxter and Barnes. 189

In a week or ten days after I had perpetrated this pro-
duction, I was sitting in the upper court, when I was
informed by the usher that Sergeant Barnes was most
anxious to speak to me at my convenience and leisure. I
directed that he should be admitted, and be proceeded to
request that Mr. Baxter, one of the junior clerks, should
be restrained from singing a song which he had picked
up somewhere, and occasionally lilted to the other clerks
when unemployed, as it was most disrespectful, and even
termed him, Sergeant Barnes, " a tallow-faced old villain."
I told the complainant that I should certainly prohibit
Baxter from continuing his vocal pastime, as it was calcu-
lated to annov an active and meritorious member of the
police force. Barnes expressed his gratitude, and added,
" I knew that your worship would never tolerate any of
the clerks in abusing or ridiculing us. I readily acknow-
ledge that I have received nearly ^30 for detecting and
taking deserters, but I would spend every farthing of the
amount if I could only discover the author of Mr. Baxter's
song, and I *d punish him to the utmost severity of the
law for writing such a rigmarole about me." In about
ten minutes after the interview, the song uas torn out of
the interleaved statute by the hand that had inscribed it.
The sergeant soon after retired from the force on a pen-
sion, and was, for several years, in a confidential situation
at the premises from which the whisky was considered so
desirable to "drink bad luck to all his sort/' namely,
Jameson's distillery.

CHAPTER XIX,

A RUN TO CONNAUGHT A PRESENT A PUZZLE

MOLL RAFFLE — A LUCKY ACCUSATION CROWN

WITNESSES WHO BLEW UP KING WILLIAM ?

SURGICAL ASSISTANCE A REJECTED SUITOR

GEORGE ROBINS THE GREEK COUNT : THE

RATS THE CHILD OF THE ALLEY THE LUCKY

SHOT.

In the year 1842, 1 indulged in an excursion to the County
of Mayo, and enjoyed a sojourn of a fortnight at the
house of a most hospitable friend near Crossmolina. On
leaving Dublin, I travelled by rail to Mullingar, and from
thence proceeded by the mail-coach to my destination. I
may mention here that a few months previous, a transac-
tion had occurred in the vicinity of Strokestown which was
of a most unusual, perhaps I might say an exceptional,
character in Connaught — namely, the murder of a land-
lord. I was the sole occupant of the inside of the vehicle,
and as the journey was nocturnal, I had several hours of
sound and refreshing sleep. The stoppage of the coach
in Strokestown to change horses awakened me, and I
lowered the window in order to alight. The door was at
once opened for me by a young fellow, who said, " Strokes-
town, sir." " Oh ! " I replied, u this is where you shot

A Run to Connaught. igi

Major M " " Troth1 it is," said he, " we are all rale

docthors here, and when we can't cure, of coorse we kill."
Such a jest, although prompt and witty, was not calcu-
lated to produce a favorable impression on the mind of a
stranger; but during my visit to the West, I did not hear
an angry word spoken, nor did I observe any tendency
on the part of the humbler classes to treat those in higher
positions with hostility or disrespect. I was perfectly
pleased with the country and the people, and my friend's
hospitality afforded me social gratifications in which there
was one novelty which I peculiarly relished. It was a
liquor derived from no foreign vineyard, but was so pecu-
liarly Irish as to induce one whom I am certainly not sin-
gular in believing to be the greatest lyric poet that ever
existed, to make it the subject of a song, adapted to the
joyous and spirit-stirring air of " Paddy O'Rafferty." I
shall quote the lines of the immortal Moore as fully justi-
fying the predilection which I have acknowledged for the
potation he describes : —

11 Drink of this cup— you 'II find there 's a spell in

Its every drop 'gainst the ills of mortality ;
Talk of the cordial that sparkled for Helen,

Her cup was a fiction, but this is reality.
Would you forget the dark world we are in,

Just taste of the bubble that gleams on the top of it ;
But would you rise above earth, till akin

To Immortals themselves, you must drain every drop of it.
Send round the cup — for oh ! there 's a spell in

Its every drop 'gainst the ills of mortality ;
Talk of the cordial that sparkled for Helen,

Her cup was a fiction, but this is reality.

$4

Never was philter form'd with such power
To charm and bewilder as this we are quaffing ;

Its magic began when, in Autumn's rich hour,
A harvest of gold in the fields it stood laughing.

192 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

There having, by Nature's enchantment, been flli'd

With the balm and the bloom of her kindliest weather,
This wonderful juice from its core was distill'd

To enliven such hearts as are here brought together.
Then drink of the cup — you '11 find there 's a spell in

It *s every drop 'gainst the ills of mortality ;
Talk of the cordial that sparkled for Helen,

Her cup was a fiction, but this is reality.

" And though, perhaps — but breathe it to no one —

Like liquor the witch brews at midnight so awful,
In secret this philter was first taught to flow on,

Yet 'tisn't less potent for being unlawful.
And ev'n though it taste of the smoke of that flame,

Which in silence extracted its virtue forbidden,
Fill up, there 's a fire in some hearts I could name,

Which may work too its charm though as lawless and hidden.
So drink of the cup— for oh ! there *s a spell in

Its every drop 'gainst the ills of mortality ;
Talk of the cordial that sparkled for Helen,

Her cup was a fiction, but this is reality."

A PRESENT.

Amongst my convivial friends in Mayo, I expressed my
regret that the liquor which I enjoyed so much in their
festive society was almost unknown and unattainable in
Dublin. In two or three weeks after my return home, I
received an anonymous note, stating that a box would be
delivered at the Head Police Office, directed to me, and
advising that I should not have it opened by any other
hands but my own. The box arrived, and was treated
according to the suggestion. It contained two jars, each
holding two gallons of "the reality." A flat bottle was
frequently filled, and conveyed, in my breast-pocket, " to
enliven such hearts as i wished to bring together ;" but at
last I found that the jars were nearly empty. About half
a pint remained, and it was never drank. I was aware

A Present — Moll Raffle. 193

that the next day was fixed for the hearing of a number of
complaints preferred for the evasion or violation of excise
laws. I directed the office-attendant to wash and tho-
roughly cleanse the inkstands, which were on the public
table, for the use of parties prosecuting or defending, and
to bring the glasses to me. I procured some ink powder,
on which I put the remaining portion of the Mayo st phil-
ter,," and supplied the stands with excellent ink, well
suited for transcribing a strong charge or a spirited defence.
It was not inodorous, and I was greatly amused by hearing
the excise officers frequently observing to their superior
and to their solicitor, that "they smelt illicit spirits/'
Mr. Morewood and Mr. Stormont also recognised the
peculiar smell, and formed various conjectures ; but none
of the persons engaged ever imagined that the ink in their
pens was made upon potteen. Immediately after the ter-
mination of the excise cases, one of my colleagues had the
inkstands emptied and replenished with the ordinary ink.
He said that "it was a fair joke on the gaugers, but when
they were gone he could not submit to be tantalised by
the smell without any chance of enjoying the taste."

MOLL RAFFLE.

I was sitting one day at the police-court in Dublin,
along with another magistrate, when a gentleman entered
and preferred a very urgent request that one of us would
accompany him to Kingstown, to witness and certify
the execution of a power of attorney by his mother, in
reference to certain funds in the Bank of England. The
applicant was reputed to be the natural son of a very dis-<
tinguished nobleman who had discharged viceregal duties
in Ireland, and also in very important and extensive oriental
territories. I never heard what the original name of the

o

194 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

lady had been, but she was known by the rather inelegant
soubriquet of Moll Raffle. She had followed her aristo-
cratic paramour to Ireland, and he had relieved himself
from her claims or importunities by providing her with a
husband, and her son with an official appointment of
respectable rank and emolument. I had never seen her,
and I was influenced by personal curiosity to accede to her
son's request. We proceeded to Kingstown, and on
arriving at a commodious and genteel residence, he desired

the servant to inform Mrs. that he had brought the

magistrate for the business required. In a few minutes
she appeared, and although no longer youthful, or even
middle-aged, a second look was not necessary to convince
me that she must have been exquisitely beautiful in her
features, and of a tall and symmetrical figure, Her right
arm was bandaged and in a sling, and she exclaimed to
her son that she was deeply mortified at having given me
the trouble of coming so far on an ineffectual mission, for
that she had unfortunately sustained a severe fall, having
trodden on a loose stair-rod just after he had started for
Dublin, and her wrist and hand were so much bruised as
to render her incapable of making her signature. I told
her that if she took the pen in her left hand, I would, at
her instance and request, guide it so as to write her name,
and that I would explain the matter in a special magis-
terial attestation on the document. To this suggestion
she readily acceded, and the power of attorney was promptly
perfected. She insisted that I should take luncheon,
after which I left. Not having to return to official duties,
I sauntered through Kingstown until about four o'clock,
when I went to the jetty, which was crowded, as a mili-
tary band was playing there. I was not long on the jetty
before I saw Mrs. with half-a-dozen companions, but

A Lucky Accusation. 195

the sling was gone, and her right hand seemed perfectly
capable of managing her parasol. I subsequently ascer-
tained that "Moll Raffle" had never been taught to write,
and that she thought it more agreeable to pretend that her
hand had been hurt than to acknowledge her educational
deficiency.

A LUCKY ACCUSATION.

In the year 1846, the Ribbon association, or fraternity,
prevailed very extensively in the city of Dublin, and in the
counties of Dublin, Wick low, Kildare, and Meath. I
believe that religious opinions or political tendencies had
very little influence on their deliberations or proceedings.
All the information that I acquired in reference to them led
me to the conclusion that their temporal interests actuated
them throughout. Threats, menaces, and even murderous
violence were used without hesitation to deter competition
with a ribbon-man in affairs of tenancy, traffic, or employ-
ment. I notice these tendencies merely as being connected
with a most extraordinary incident at the time. A man
named Lacy held a small farm somewhere between
Brittas and Blessington, and at an early hour, on a Satur-
day morning, he left home, bringing, with a horse and
cart, various commodities for sale in Dublin. Having
disposed of his goods, he was about to start for home in
the evening. He stopped at a shop in Bride Street to
purchase some groceries, and tendered in payment a crown-
piece. It was a coin of George the Third's reign, was
rather worn, and had acquired a dark and very question-
able appearance. The proprietor of the shop pronounced
the crown to be base, and used some expressions which
irritated Lacy, who replied to them in vituperative terms.
The grocer observed a constable passing, and having called

196 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

upon him, charged Lacy with tendering a base coin. The
man was taken to the station-house in Chancery Lane, his
horse and cart were sent to a livery stable, and he re-
mained in custody until Monday morning, when the
charge was laid before me. Mr. Stuart, of Dame Street,
a silversmith, was examined, and in my presence tested
the crown. He pronounced it to be perfectly genuine. I
accordingly directed the accused party to be discharged
from custody, and I was not surprised at his expressions
of indignation for having been detained and locked up
amongst thieves and disorderly characters, and his horse
and cart sent to livery, whilst his family could not but feel
alarmed for his safety, when he failed to return at the
expected time. I directed his horse and cart to be given
to him, and that the livery should be defrayed from the
police funds. Scarcely had I disposed of the case when
Lacy's wife arrived in an indescribable state of joyful ex-
citement. She clasped him in her arms, exclaiming,
" You 're safe, all is right, thanks to God." She mani-
fested no resentment towards the grocer, but wished
him good luck and prosperity. The cause of her delight
may be briefly explained, but it is not the less extraordi-
nary. Her husband had incurred the resentment of the
ribbon-men of his vicinity, by offering for land against one
of the fraternity. On the Saturday night an armed party
entered his house for the purpose of killing him, but their
diabolical design was thwarted by the circumstance of
their intended victim being in custody of the Dublin
Police, upon an unfounded, but certainly not an un-
fortunate accusation. His family had communicated with
the constabulary, lest the intended assassination might be
perpetrated on his journey home, and early on Monday
morning his wife started in search of him, with the result
which has been stated.

Crown Witnesses. 197

CROWN WITNESSES.

For several years subsequent to my appointment to ma-
gisterial office, there were two houses in Great Ship Street,
on the side now entirely occupied by the barrack, which
were appropriated to the accommodation of crown witnes-
ses. There was an internal communication between those
houses, and the witnesses, of both sexes, were allowed
to associate free from all supervision, except what served
to keep them from leaving the premises, unless accom-
panied by an attendant, and examining letters received or
despatched by them. Their meals were generally taken
together; and for the amusement or employment of their
evenings, they were left entirely to themselves. Amongst
those witnesses almost every variety of character was to
be found. A young man, whose name has lapsed from
my recollection, was charged by a female with attempting
to commit an offence which I need not particularise, and
I was directed to investigate the affair at the premises,
without imparting to it any avoidable publicity. The
accused party denied the misconduct imputed to him, and
attributed the charge to spite and resentment on the part
of the complainant and another inmate of the place. A
woman stated that " the girl was vexed by the questions
put to her, and the faults found with her evidence every
time that her case was tried/' I was greatly surprised
to find that the crown witnesses were accustomed to have
their evidence rehearsed before an amateur judge, an im-
provised jury, and a couple of supposed counsel, one to
prosecute and the other to defend. If a case failed, the
witnesses were instructed as to their deficiencies, either
in manner or matter; and they were drilled to avoid
admissions of any nature calculated to weaken their

198 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

testimony. I made such representations to the Executive
as produced the suppression of the Ship Street establish-
ments.

WHO BLEW UP KING WILLIAM ?

Very soon after my appointment to the police magis-
tracy, there was a person named Jones convicted of being
deeply implicated in the Ribbon system. He was not
committed for trial from the Head Office, and I was not
officially connected with any of the proceedings in his
case. After he had been sent to another hemisphere
under sentence of transportation, I heard casually from a
professional man, on whose statements I placed the ut-
most reliance, that Jones had acknowledged to him being
the person by whom the statue of King William in College
Green was blown up in 1 836. There was no prosecution
instituted as to that extraordinary affair, and I notice it
only on account of the statements subsequently made,
and an incident which may be considered of an amusing
character. Two women of a disreputable class were stand-
ing at the corner of Church Lane in College Green just
after midnight. A man, whom they had not previously
observed, descended quickly from the statue, and having
crossed the rails which then intervened between the pedes-
tal and the thoroughfare, he ignited a fuse which had been
previously connected with some explosive substance placed
between the figures of the steed and the rider. The man
rapidly decamped, the fuse burned quickly, and there was
an explosion which was heard in almost every part of the
city, and by which the figure of the monarch was com-
pletely separated from his horse, and thrown into the pub-
lic carriage-way, several yards from the pedestal. It was
reported that a respectable citizen residing in the immediate

Surgical Assistance. 199

vicinity, who had been suffering for some time previous
from disease of the heart, rose from his bed in hasty alarm,
and almost immediately dropped lifeless. Jones, accord-
ing to the statement of my informant, subsequently tried
to cut the head off the prostrate figure, but was deterred by
the approach of a party of police from College Street. I
believe that those who examined the figures of man and
horse expressed a decided opinion that the explosion
had not been effected by gunpowder, and the statements
of the acknowledged delinquent denied that gunpowder
had been used, but without his specifying what material
had effected such an extraordinary result.

SURGICAL ASSISTANCE.

In the year 1836, Lord Mulgrave, afterwards Marquis
of Normanby, was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He had
an aid-de-camp, a Captain B , who has since supple-
mented that name by another commencing with O. That
gentleman then was, and has since continued to be, a
most desirable addition to any social or convivial re-union
in which wit and comic humor were appreciated. On the

night of the explosion, Captain B was returning from

some festive scene, and reached College Green, on his way
to the Castle, a few minutes after the occurrence. He
instantly ordered his driver to make for Merrion Square
as quickly as possible, and to stop at the residence of
Crampton, who was the first surgical practitioner of the
time, and who was very generally considered to have a
most persistent anxiety to establish acquaintance and even
intimacies amongst the aristocracy. Captain B ap-
plied himself to the knocker and door-bell until he had
completely roused every inmate of the house, and to the
first, who enquired the reason for his urgent application,

200 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

he replied, " To let Surgeon Crampton know that a very
distinguished personage had fallen from his horse in Col-
lege Green, and sustained serious injuries." The hoax
was successful. Crampton proceeded with the utmost
haste to the place designated, and subsequently he caused
considerable surprise by becoming the frequent narrator
of the trick to which he had been subjected.

A REJECTED SUITOR.

In offering to my readers an incident or anecdote, I
have the advantage of being free from any necessity for a
consecutive arrangement. My recollections may suggest
occurrences anterior to some already narrated without pre-
cluding me from a description of them. About the time,
however, to which I have last adverted, I was residing in
Lower Fitzwilliam Street, and a young lady, a near relative
of my wife, was a frequent visiter. She was decidedly hand-
some, and possessed other attractions of no inconsider-
able value. Her admirers were numerous, and amongst them

there was no more ardent suitor than a Mr. Richard S .

He was an accomplished gentleman, of handsome counten-
ance and fine portly figure. He sang very well, and almost
always adapted his voice to the music of his own guitar.
His family was of high respectability in a southern county,
but some banking speculations had seriously diminished
their financial resources. His addresses were most ardently
directed, but the fair ladv was not to be won. She was
informed that her admirer supported himself by some em-
ployments or agencies in the corn trade. He was refused,
and almost immediately disappeared from Irish society.
When I resigned the police magistracy in 1861, I was
invited by my friend, the late Marcus Costello, to visit him
at Gibraltar, at which place he held the office of Attorney-

George Robins. 201

General. In a few weeks after my arrival there, he told
me that some Spanish officers of high distinction were to
cross from Algesiras, to visit the fortress and see the extra-
ordinary productions of nature and art which are there so
abundantly displayed. I accompanied him and several
other functionaries to the Governor's residence, at which,
amidst the firing of salutes and other manifestations of
respect, the Spanish officers were received. The principal
personage amongst them was highly decorated. He had
distinguished himself in the then recent warfare with the
Moors, and was a general in the army, besides holding an
important provincial office wliich, as well as I recollect,
caused him to be designated " Intendente." To my great
astonishment, Don Kicardo de S. advanced to me, proferred
his hand, enquired about many of his old acquaintances,
and enabled me to recognise the quondam guitar performer,
whose personal qualities and capabilities had been better
appreciated abroad than in his native land. I may, in
some later pages, have occasion to refer to other recol-
lections of Gibraltar.

w

»

GEORGE ROBINS.

About the time of my accession to magisterial office, a
sale was advertised of two properties on the river Black-
water. The descriptions specified two fine mansions, with
the adjuncts of extensive stabling, gardens, ornamental
plantations, and such a number of acres suited for pasture
or tillage as would fairly entitle each place to be considered
a demesne worthy of the attention of all who desired a
residence fit for high rank and liberal expenditure. The
advertisements stated the properties to be beautifully pic-
turesque, and as affording ample means to the sportsman
for the gratification of all his tastes or inclinations. But

202 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

_ *

public attention was peculiarly excited by the announce-
ment that the sale by auction would be conducted at
Morrison's in Dawson Street, by the far-famed London
auctioneer, Ghorge Robins. Not being the least curious
of the community, I betook myself to the place appointed,
and found the room crowded at the hour of one o'clock,
p.m. George allowed fifteen or twenty minutes to elapse
before he appeared and offered an apology for his delay, as
having been occasioned by the breaking down of a vehicle.
He then proceeded to address his auditors in a tone of,
perhaps assumed, despondency and discontent, to the
following effect: — "Ladies and gentlemen, I feel deeply
mortified at having to submit for public competition these
properties, of which I have not the slightest personal
knowledge. I regret having accepted the engagement,
which I am decidedly unable to discharge to my own
satisfaction. It was my intention to have viewed the
houses and lands, so as to know what I could truly state ;
but I was unfortunately detained in London, until it
became impossible for me to run down to Mallow or
Youghal before the auction. I think it very probable that
I shall take an early opportunity to see the places which I
am now about to sell. My curiosity has been excited
greatly by two gentlemen who travelled in the coach with
me on my journey through Wales. They knew me; and
in the course of our conversation, I mentioned that I was
proceeding to Dublin to sell these two properties on the
Blackwater. They stated that they knew the places per-
fectly well, and that I might expect a brisk competition.
As we passed through the lovely scenery of Llangollen,
Clwyd, and some other enchanting places, I expressed the
most unqualified admiration of landscapes uniting all the
beauties which hill and valley, wood and water, towering

The Greek Count : The Rats. 203

rocks and verdant glens can present to the view of a de-
lighted traveller. My companions did not join in my
fervent appreciation of the Welsh scenery. They said
that it was certainly agreeable to the eye, but when com-
pared with that of some other localities, it did not surpass
mediocrity. When I reiterated my opinion that I had
never previously viewed such beautiful landscapes, they
replied that if I only took a glance at the places on the
Blackwater, which I was going over to sell, they would
monopolise my admiration, and convince me of the utter in-
feriority of the most picturesque portion of Wales. I have
consequently a very great desire to see the two splendid
demesnes which I must now offer for your competition."
I do not insist on my readers giving implicit credence to
the tale about the travelling companions. Whoever dis-
believes it will not be singular.

THE GREEK COUNT — THE RATS.

I had the pleasure of being intimately acquainted with
the late Thomas Symes of Leinster Street. He was a
solicitor of the highest respectability, and was an universal
favorite in a very extensive circle. He had travelled much,
especially in the southern parts of Europe ; and few foreign-
ers from those localities, if of rank or consideration, came
to Dublin without experiencing his attentions. Amongst
those whom I met at his house, there was only one in
whom I observed a tendency to make statements which
were worthy of observation and productive of amusement
from the total absence of any truthful ingredient. He
was a Greek, and was also a Count, and not a Baron, so
that he could not be mistaken for a personage of the latter
dignity, whose name commenced with the same letter.
Count M was not the veritable Baron Munchausen,

204 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

but he was decidedly his rival in demands on the credulity
of those who heard his asseverations. He never spoke to
the disparagement of any human being except Otho, who
was then King of Greece, and whom he occasionally ex-
pressed a wish to burn. He spoke English and some
other languages with wonderful fluency, and no matter
what subjects appeared most agreeable to any company,
the Count never failed to introduce and expatiate on the
surprising intelligence of Rats, and he invariaby closed
each anecdote with a declaration that "upon his sacred
word of honor it was strictly true."

" I was obliged/' said he " to leave Athens by the tyran-
nical persecution of Otbo, and I betook myself to Zante, in
which island I possessed extensive currant grounds and
olive plantations. In our oil cellar we had a large tun and a
great number of jars and flasks, which were generally well
filled. We found, however, that the jars and bottles pre-
pared for corking and sealing in the evening were lessened
by some inches as to their contents in the morning.
Having closely and quietly watched, we found that the rats
took it in turn to let down their tails into the vessels, so as
to enable the others to lick off the oil thus abstracted.
The store tun appeared to be full to the bung-hole ; but
when the contents were drawn off for refining, we discovered
that the rats had kept the oil up to the orifice by dropping
pebbles into the vessel. I pledge you my sacred word, &c.

" I was one day strolling through the currant grounds,
and provided with an excellent fowling-piece, in the hope
of meeting with quail. I was near to a small stream,
when I observed two rats approaching the water. They
were so close together that their sides appeared to be touch-
ing, and I killed both in one shot. On going to the spot
vi here they were lying, I immediately perceived that one

The Child of the A lley. 205

rat was blind, and between them there was a little straw
blade, of which each had held an end in his mouth. It
was thus that the blindness of one was productive of sa-
gacious care and attention in the other. I pledge you/'
&c.

I have lately observed that the Count is mentioned in
The Life and Recollections of the Hon Granville Berkeley,
but without any allusion to the extraordinary tendencies
and dexterous expedients which, amongst us, he attributed
to such hateful vermin.

THE CHILD OF THE ALLEY.

Amongst my personal recollections, there is one which
I hope to narrate without ruffling or alarming the most
sensitively delicate of my readers, although amongst the
prominent characters of the scene about a dozen belonged
to the most wretched and degraded portion of the female
sex, and dwelt in a mean, loathsome, and disreputable
locality named Cole Alley, which was, and perhaps still
continues to be, occupied by denizens of a similar descrip-
tion. I shall apply to them the term adopted by Hood in
his exquisite production of " The Bridge of Sighs/' and
designate them " unfortunates.0 I had been a magistrate
for three or four years, when I was one day informed by
the attendant of the police-court that a deputation of
females from Cole Alley earnestly besought me to give
them an audience. My colleagues were amused at the
application, and ironically congratulated me on such an
exclusive preference; but I determined to accede to the
request, and directed them to be admitted. About twelve
of them entered the court, and amidst the " unfortunates"
I perceived a female child of ten or eleven years of age.

206 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

The spokeswoman of the party led this child forward, and
addressed me to the following effect : —

" Yer worship, this poor little girl was born in the alley.
She was not quite a year old when the collar (cholera)
made a great sweep up there, and took off her mother,
who was one of us. The child had no one to care her, so
we agreed to do the best we could for her, and we gave
her a bit of food, a rag or two to cover her, and she lived
about among, us, so that we used to call her our own child.
But now, yer worship, we see that she is coming to a time
of life when to stay in the alley would be her destruction.
We are doatingly fond of her, and it would be a heartscald
to us all to think of her ever falling into our course of life.
We would beg of you to have her put into some school or
institution where she will be reared in decency, and trained
to earn honest bread."

I at once stated to "the deputation" that I should do
my utmost to realize their wishes, and that they might
leave the child to my care. They embraced her most
affectionately, and with the warmest thanks for my com-
pliance, they departed. The Poor Law Unions had not
been organized at the time, and I sent the child on a
remand committal to the worthy matron of Grangegorman
Prison, Mrs. Rawlins, with a note explaining the circum-
stances, and requesting that the little girl should be kept
apart from the juvenile delinquents. My wishes were
strictly complied with. On the following day, I dined at
Portrane with the worthy George Evans. I mentioned the
transaction to him, and he communicated it to his sister,
Mrs. Putland. That lady was an impersonation of chanty,
and at once offered to have the " child of the alley " placed
in one of the many institutions which she contributed to
support. I regret that I am unable to state any further

The Lucky Shot. 207

results, having omitted to make ulterior inquiries, but I
have always considered the earnest application, perhaps I
might fairly term it the supplication, of. the Cole Alley
" unfortunates " as the strongest acknowledgment, offered
sincerely and spontaneously, by Vice of the superiority of
Virtue.

the lucky shot.

A female of the class to which I have adverted was an
inmate of one of the many disreputable houses which
constituted almost the entire of a street on the south side
of Dublin. It was called " French Street ;" but the ob-
noxious establishments having been suppressed, it is now
designated " Upper Mercer Street." An English com-
mercial traveller betook himself to the house in which the
a unfortunate " resided. He was in a fearful state of
delirium tremens; and having been refused a further supply
of liquor, he took out a pistol, and shot the "unfortunate,"
lodging two bullets in her body. He was seized, and the
woman was conveyed to Mercer's Hospital, which was in
the immediate vicinity. Her wounds did not prove mor-
tal, the balls were extracted ; but whilst her recovery was
uncertain, I went several times to the hospital for the
purpose of taking her informations. She never expressed
any resentment against her assailant, and she refused to
prosecute him. Some of his family and friends contri-
buted about £%o> which sum was paid to her a few days
before she was discharged, and she appropriated it to de-
fray the expenses of her emigration. I was informed by
the attendants that she often spoke of the lucky shot, by
which she was enabled to quit a course of sin and degra-
dation, and to essay a new life in a new land. This oc-
curred, I think, in the year 1843.

CHAPTER XX.

V

O'CONNELL — SMITH O'BRIEN AND MEAGHER — JOHN

MITCHEL INFORMERS THE CLOSE OF 1 848

THE MILITARY A FRENCH VIEW OF POPULAR

COMMOTIONS.

In 1844 there was the most intense excitement amongst
all classes, sects, and parties of the Irish community, aris-
ing from the prosecutions instituted by the Attorney-
General,. Thomas Berry. Cusack Smith against O'ConneN
and several others for various alleged violations of the
laws in their meetings, publications, and other proceedings
adopted by them to promote a repeal of the Union. The
preliminary informations were sworn before a judge, and
none of the police magistrates were called upon to inter-
fere, in any way whatever, from the commencement to the
conclusion of the affair. On thq 30th of May, the accused
were sentenced to certain terms of imprisonments and
fines, and they were liberated on the reversal of the judg-
ment by the House of Lords, on the 6th September. A
few days before the sentence was pronounced, I dined in
company with Mr. John O'Connell, when he stated that
they expected to be sent to Newgate or Kilmainham. I
advised him to have a special application made to the
court to order the imprisonment in the Richmond Bride-
well, which was cleanly and spacious, and where they

O'Connell. 209

might have access to two extensive gardens. My sugges-
tion was adopted, and the prisoners were sent by a cir-
cuitous route, avoiding the great thoroughfares of the city,
to the bridewell. In the evening I was going home to
my residence in Rathmines, when I overheard a woman
loudly expressing to a number of sympathetic listeners,
her hearty detestation and curse upon all " who had any
hand in sending the Liberator to the same place as that to
which Porter sends his blackguards."

Thomas Berry Cusack Smith, the Attorney-General,
had been nicknamed, " Alphabet Smith," from the multi-
plicity of his names, and when the judgment of the
Queen's Bench was reversed, a ballad appeared to the
tune of " The Shan van vocht." A police inspector asked
my opinion as to the prevention of it being chanted by the
street vocalists, and I advised him against making it more
known and more relished by the multitude, as it would be
by his interference. It is as follows : —

" Musha, Dan who let you out ?

Says the T. B. C.
For you 're here beyant a doubt,

Says the T. B. C.
Sure I thought I locked you in,
You contraries! of min,
And what brings you here agin,

Says the T. B. C.

% Through the chimney did you climb ?

Says the T. B. C
For you 're up to any crime,

Says the T. B. C.
There were locks both great and small,
Did you dare to pick them all ?
Did you scale the prison wall ?

Says the T. B. C

210 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

No, I did 'nt scale the wall,

Says the Dan van vocht,
Through the flues I did 'nt crawl,

Says the Dan van vocht,
Not a weapon did I take,
And no lock I tried to break,
Such attempts I 'd scorn to make,

Says the Dan van vocht.

But might is foiled by right,

Says the Dan van vocht,
As the darkness by the light,

Says the Dan van vocht,
My cause was on a rock,
'Twas the law that picked the lock,
And I 'm free, my bantam cock,

Says the Dan van vocht.

Oh ! confusion to you Dan,

Says the T. B. C.
You 're a divil of a man,

Says the T. B. C.
And we 're in a precious plight,
By your means this very night,
For you 've bothered us outright,

Says the T. B. C.w

During the progress of the prosecution against the
repealers, Tom Steele, who was one of those indicted,
interrupted the proceedings several times, audibly contra-
dicting some expressions of the Attorney-general, and
annoying him bv exclamations and gestures. Tom prided
himself on being considered the Jidus Achates of O'Connell,
and was never so happy as when closely associated with
his political leader. It was said, and I believe it was
perfectly true, that Smith succeeded in quieting Tom, by
intimating that if he continued to exclaim and gesticulate,
his name should be struck out of the indictment, and his

O'Connell. 211

chance of participating in the expected martyrdom thereby
annihilated.

Whilst O'Connell and the other state prisoners were in
the Richmond Bridewell, they received a continual supply
of the choicest provisions and wine sent as presents by
their political adherents. It would be very difficult to
particularise any article suited to a luxurious repast, which
was not tendered for their enjoyment. I was twice at the
prison, on magisterial business, during their detention,
and on each occasion I saw materials fit for princely
banquets brought for their use. I was rather surprised at
one contribution which very soon disappeared. It was
half a ton of ice, and it did not preserve its consistency
beyond a few hours. I heard from some of the prison
officials that O'Connell's meals were generally simple in
their material, but that his appetite was healthy and strong.
When released from confinement, he did not appear to
have been weakened by its infliction.

It would not be in accordance with the objects of my
reminiscences to advocate or condemn the political opinions
or proceedings of any portion of the community, unless
they involved direct incitements to, or the actual adoption
of, open violence. In noticing O'Connell as a remarkable
public character, I may express my conviction that he had
a decided repugnance, even in the hottest times of political
excitement, to the application of actual force. It may be
said that he could " speak daggers," but he was disposed
to " use none."

Whenever I had an opportunity to hear him, whether
on legal or political occasions, I availed myself of it, in
the anticipation of being highly amused, and I was scarcely
ever disappointed. I am tempted to detail two or three
of my recollections, which have not been noticed by any

212 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

^■l _ a. ^m. .J— ~ ■ _ . ■ *-" -

of his biographers. I am aware that my expressions
must be far inferior to his diction, but my readers will
not, I hope, be too severe in criticising my inefficiency.

I was present at the trial of a very beautiful young
lady who, with her mother and two other persons, was
indicted for conspiring to take away a minor from his
parents, and have him married to the young lady in Scot-
land. The prosecution was conducted with considerable
acrimony, and the Gretna-Green bride was described as
a person of very tarnished reputation, whose favorite para-
mour had been a blacksmith. No proofs were adduced of
the imputed immorality, and O' Conn ell, in a speech for
the defence, denounced it as a fabrication "which had not
even the merit of originality, but was borrowed from the
mythological assignment of Vulcan to Venus."

At the commencement of the first viceroyalty of the
Marquis Wellesley, a newspaper was started in Parliament
Street by a Mr. Hayden. It was called The Morning Star,
and its editorial articles were almost exclusively devoted to
the most disparaging and insulting productions in reference
to the Lord Lieutenant or O'Connell. The latter was
never forgotten ; and every term of obloquy was put in
requisition for his diurnal vilification. Firebrand, Rebel,
Arch-mendicant, Liar, Impostor, Schemer, were liberally
appropriated to him, and even the shape of his hat, and
the mode of carrying his umbrella, became subjects of
offensive observation. The attention of the Attorney-
General was attracted to an article in The Morning Star,
headed "The profligate Lord Wharton/' the writer of
which stated that the history of the Wharton viceroyalty
had never been fully published, because a true description
of such a character would be considered as an incredible
exaggeration, but that it might now be produced without

O'Connell. 213

any apprehension of such an opinion prevailing, inasmuch
as its worst details would be found fully equalled in Dublin
Castle under the auspices of its present occupant. A
criminal information was filed against Mr. Hayden for
a libel on the Lord Lieutenant ; and he became extremely
apprehensive of a severe punishment, resulting from his
very offensive comparison of Lord Wellesley with Lord
Wharton. He immediately engaged William Ford as his
attorney, and the next step was to retain O'Connell as his
principal counsel. The latter agreed to act, but required
that he should be left completely free to adopt whatever
line of defence he preferred, and to manage the case at his
own discretion. The trial was held in the King's Bench
before Bushe, the Chief Justice, and the opening statement
for the prosecution was delivered by the Attorney-General,
Plunket. Sir Charles Vernon, who held the appointment
of registrar of newspapers, was the first witness; and he
produced the official copy of the paper containing the
alleged libel, and it was read by him for the court and
jury. O'Connell was then at the outer bar, and occupied
a seat on its front row. He submitted to the judge, that
when a document was given in evidence, either party could
insist on the entire of it being read. To this proposition
the Chief Justice acceded, expressing a hope, however,
that his time would not be wasted in listening to irrelevant
matter. O'Connell then required Sir Charles to read
sundry portions of the paper in which " a person named
O'Connell " was made the subject of the most defamatory
animadversions. The entire auditory were convulsed
with laughter, as he gravely proceeded to elicit ardent
wishes for the speedy hanging or transportation of the
arch-agitator, the apostle of mischief, the disseminator of
disaffection, the mendicant patriot, the disgrace to his

214 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

profession, and the curse of his country. When the case
for the prosecution closed, he proceeded to address the
jury, and his speech was replete with the highest enco-
niums on the Marquis Wellesley, to whose Indian govern-
ment and diplomatic services he referred as exhibiting all
the qualities of perfect statesmanship. He then expressed
his surprise at the Attorney-General condescending to no-
tice the publication of a mere newspaper squib, which could
not possibly affect the illustrious viceroy. In the paper
produced there were several unwarrantable attacks upon
some person named O'Connell, who had instituted no
proceedings against their publisher, although, perhaps, he
was very likely to be affected injuriously by them, especially
if his livelihood depended upon his character and reputa-
tion. Bitterly as he had been assailed, he had remained
quiescent, and so regardless of the invectives directed
against him, that it was very probable he had no desire
whatever to mulct or incarcerate his assailant, but would
rather aid in terminating his anxieties, and sending him.
home to his wife and Jive children.

At the conclusion of his speech O'Connell left the
court. I had been sitting very near him, and went out at
the same time. Ford was in the vestibule, and when
they met, O'Connell said, " Ford, I hope that I did not
make a wrong cast in my closing sentence ; is the fellow
married ?"

Hayden was not convicted, the jury disagreed, and the
prosecution was not renewed. The publication of " The
Morning Star " was almost immediately discontinued*

In 1834, the question of Repeal of the Union was in-
troduced by O'Connell to the House of Commons, and
negatived by an overwhelming majority. The principal
opponent of the motion was Thomas Spring Rice (after-

O'Connell. 215

wards Lord Monteagle) who was then one of the members
for Limerick city, and a very general opinion was imme-
diately entertained that he would never be elected there
on any future occasion. In the autumn of 1834, I was
appointed a revising barrister in reference to tithes, and in
that capacity I visited Limerick. I had finished my busi-
ness, and was preparing for my departure, when about
two o'clock in the afternoon, O'Connell arrived at the
hotel, (which was, I think, Cruise's,) and the street was
immediately thronged to excess by an enthusiastic multi-
tude. He was on his way to Dublin; but whether he
wished to address the people or not, it was manifest that a
speech from the balcony was unavoidable. I got as near
to him as the crowded state of the apartment permitted,
and was enabled to hear his oration fully ; but of course I
cannot do more than give its general import, and endea-
vour to describe its effect. He commenced by stating that
a report had been circulated that he intended to interfere
with the people of Limerick, and to direct, and even to
dictate, the choice of their Parliamentary representatives.
This rumour he denounced as a scandalous, infamous lie.
He had no wish to curb or trammel them in the exercise
of their rights, and he was not such a fool as to attempt
dictation to a community too independent and intelligent
to yield to any influence except dispassionate arguments
suggested by patriotism and conducive to the welfare of
their beloved country. Frequent and rapturous cheers
from listening thousands evinced their appreciation of his
address, especially when he referred to the valorous defence
of their city by their forefathers. At length he said that
his topics were exhausted, and that he had nothing to add
unless they wished him to tell them a little story. Shouts
were immediately raised for " the story, the story," and he

216 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

proceeded to narrate that about the beginning of the pre-
sent century an opinion was very prevalent that the French
intended to invade Ireland, and it was considered probable
that their fleet would enter the Shannon, and land the
troops on the left side of that splendid river, in the vicinity
of Limerick. The French had exacted such heavy contri-
butions from the continental states which they had occu-
pied, that very great apprehensions were entertained that
their invasion of Ireland would be attended with similar
results, and that the industrial resources of the country
and the savings of the people would be speedily spoliated.
There then lived near Foynes a farmer named Maurice
Sullivan, a man of excellent character, religious, sober,
thrifty, industrious, and intelligent. He had a loved and
loving wife, comely and amiable, who made his home
happy by the observance of every domestic duty, On a
Sunday morning, they were returning from Mass, and
were chatting as to the probability of the French coming
over. He said that they would ruin thousands who were
then comfortable and contented, and that they would help
themselves to everything they fancied. " I have now," he
added, " to tell you, my dear Jenny, that I have more money
than you knew of. I have had good crops, and the cattle
and sheep have thriven well and fetched high prices, and I
have laid by close on eight hundred pounds. If a French-
man came across my savings, he would not ask leave or
licence, but plunder me at once."

" Maurice," replied his wife, " I must acknowledge to
you that I have put by more than one hundred pounds that
I made from time to time by the poultry and eggs and
early vegetables. Now that we have made a clear breast
to each other, what course shall we take to keep the
money safe ? "

O'Connell 217

" Well," said he, " I was down, a few evenings ago, in
the old churchyard, and noticed a hole at the corner of the
big monument belonging to the Rice family. I think if
I got a strong canister or jar, and packed the money in it,
and hid it under the monument, closing up the hole com-
pletely, nobody would ever think of ransacking such a
place as that, or suppose that it contained anything
valuable/'

"Maurice," replied Jenny, "it was a cute notion of
yours, and I am sure that no Frenchman would ever go
to root out your canister, but still with my consent not
even a farthing shall ever be put there."

" Why, what is your objection ? '' said her husband.

" My objection is very simple," answered Jenny; "do
anything else that you please, but not that, for I wouldn't
trust a Rice, living or dead."

The "little story " was vehemently cheered, and its
concluding words became a political maxim amongst the
repealers of Limerick. Rice had no longer a chance of
election there, but he was returned at the next dissolution
for an English borough, I believe for Cambridge. The
€t little story " appeared to me rather an extraordinary
sequel to the disavowal of any desire to interfere, to direct,
or to dictate.

In some recent publications I have seen it stated that
O'Connell achieved a complete triumph over an inveterate
termagant named Biddy Moriarty, whose quickness and
copiousness of abusive diction deterred all others from
engaging her in any wordy warfare. His success was
ascribed to the application of mathematical terms to his
vituperative antagonist, who became completely bewildered
at finding herself designated a detested parallelogram, a
notorious hypothenuse, an octagonal diagram, of rectan-

218 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

gular habits and rhomboidal practices. I do not believe
that he ever came in collision with the redoubtable Biddy,
for the tale of her discomfiture was very rife before
O'Connell had attained to great eminence, either politically
or professionally, and I have heard it told in the year J 817
in the presence of Curran, who was mentioned as her
successful antagonist, and complimented on the effective
means he adopted to overcome the incorrigible scold ; and
I recollect hearing him state that the encounter took place
at Rathcormack, in the County Cork. He added, that
having declared, towards the conclusion of the verbose
strife, that he could never condescend again to notice such
"an individual," the exasperated woman replied that he
had a power of impudence to say the like, for that she was
no more an andyvidjal than he was himself.

In reference to O'Connell, I have a very distinct re-
collection that in 1837-38 he took a prominent part in
opposing combinations amongst the working tradesmen
of Dublin. He attended public meetings, and spoke of
the evils arising from combinations or trade-strikes in the
strongest terms. Hostility, amounting to threats of
personal violence, was displayed towards him by some of
those to whose opinions and proceedings he was adverse.
I have heard Joseph Denis Mullen state that he suggested
to O'Connell that the course adopted by him might
endanger his popularity, to which he replied : —

"When my popularity depends on the surrender or
compromise of my conscientious convictions, I shall not
seek to retain it." It was in reference to his conduct at
that time that the late Lord Charlemont, when presiding
at a public banquet to the metropolitan members, of whom
O'Connell was one, and proposing the toast of the evening,

O'Connell. 219

applied a very appropriate quotation, derived from classic
knowledge and suggested by classic taste —

" Justum, et tenacem propositi virum
Non civium ardor prava jubentitim ;
Non vultus instantis tyranni
Mente quatit solida." — *

In April, 1835, I had occasion to visit London, and,
during a sojourn of about three weeks, I spent several
evenings in the gallery of the House of Commons. There
had been a recent change of ministry, and the Melbourne
cabinet was formed. In the preceding Government Lord
Ashley had been a Lord of the Admiralty, and at the time
to which I refer, a sergeant-at-law, named Spankey, had
been returned, on the liberal interest, for a metropolitan
constituency, I believe Finsbury. I happened to be in
the gallery one evening when there was not a member of
the administration present, and the opposition benches
were also unoccupied by any of the leading conservatives.
There was no probability of any interesting discussion
arising, and the secretary of the admiralty was engaged in
moving the navy estimates to which he did not appear to
apprehend any objection, as they had been framed at a
considerable reduction of the preceding amounts. I was
about to retire from the gallery^ when Lord Ashley arose,
and denounced the proposed votes as having originated in
a spirit of parsimony, and as tending to impair the most
important element of our national strength. Having
delivered a speech, in which the greatest ignorance of their
duties, and a most culpable neglect of our naval require-

* The man of firm and righteous will,
No rabble clamorous for the wrong,
No tyrant's brow, whose frown may kill,
Can shake the strength that makes him strong.

220 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

ments were imputed to the Government; he was followed
by Sergeant Spankey, who manifested the utmost hostility
to the administration, and declared it to be unworthy of
public confidence or respect. To the surprise of all present,
O'Connell arose and expressed his opinion that the esti-
mates had been judiciously framed, and that the govern-
ment had evinced a laudable desire to economize the
national expenses. He proceeded to say that he was not
astonished at the hostility of the noble lord towards an
administration by which he had been deprived of power
and the sweets concomitant to power; but Jie was unstble
to comprehend the motives, or even to imagine the reasons,
for the asperity and unmitigated hostility of the honorable
and learned member, from whom the Government had not
taken any power or official advantages, and to whom, it
was believed, that they had offered his fall value.

" Sir," exclaimed Spankey, " They offered me nothing/*

" Mr. Speaker/' said O'Connell, "That is exactly what
I surmised/'

Laughter, loud and of long continuance, followed this
uncomplimentary explanation of the Sergeant's worth,
and I believe that " Spankey's price " was for some time
adapted as a term to signify a total deficiency of value.

Having detailed these few personal recollections, which
I hope may not be considered too discursive, I have to ap-
proach the incidents of 1848, when the " Young Ireland"
or " Confederate" movement occurred. It is not my
intention to laud or censure those engaged in its further-
ance or its repression, my only object being to state such
facts as came under my personal observations, or of which
I had official cognizance, leaving to the reader to derive
amusement from some circumstances and useful informa-
tion from others. I think it was on the 31 st day of March

Smith O'Brien and Meagher. 221

- ■ -1- - — — .

that the crown-solicitor preferred charges of sedition against
Smith O'Brien and Meagher, and required me to make
them amenable. When the informations were sworn,
I asked him if he had any objection to an intimation from
me to the accused, that such proceedings had been insti-
tuted, in order that they might appear and give bail to
stand their trial without subjecting them to the indignity
of arrest. To this course Mr. Kemmis at once acceded ;
and I called on Smith O'Brien at his lodgings in Westland
Row that evening, and found Meagher and several other
persons along with him. When I stated the object of
my visit, one of the company exclaimed, "Give no promise
or undertaking to appear. Accept no courtesy from your
prosecutors, but let the Government incur the odium of
arresting you." Both of them, however, declined to follow
such advice, and assured me that they would attend at
the Head Office, at noon, on the next day. They thanked
me for the inclination I had exhibited to save them, as
much as possible, from personal annoyance ; and as I was
leaving, O'Brien* laughingly exclaimed, " Your urbanity,
Mr. Porter, shall not be forgotten ; and when the govern-
ment of Ireland comes into our hands, your official posi-
tion shall not be disturbed." At the appointed time they
gave the required bail, and I returned the informations for
trial. They were indicted for sedition, and, unfortunately
for themselves, were acquitted. I say " unfortunately,"
because if they had then been convicted, and imprisoned
for three or four months, they would have been unable to
engage in the proceedings which eventuated in their con-
viction for high treason, at Clonmel, in the following
September. I think it worth remarking, that when they
had utterly failed in their insurrectionary designs, and had
been banished to a distant region, I occasionally heard

222 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

great culpability and folly imputed to them ; but in refe-
rence to their conduct, the most severe censures were
uttered by the lips of him who had urged them to reject
the slight courtesy and the forbearance of arrest, to which
I have alluded above.

In all the cases of treason-felony which were tried in
Dublin, the informations were sworn before me. I had
also to issue warrants for the apprehension of the princi-
pal organizers of Confederate clubs, and search-warrants
for concealed arms. Such transactions were numerous,
and the period was one of very fervid excitement. I am
therefore proud of being able to declare that no imputa-
tion of partiality, precipitance, or undue severity was pre-
ferred or suggested in reference to my magisterial conduct.
There were several instances in which I refrained from
issuing warrants on the evidence of constables or of private
informers ; but in all such cases the higher authorities
were made acquainted with the peculiar circumstances
under which further proceedings appeared to be unneces-
sary or inadvisable, and approved of the forbearance. If
a person was known to have joined a Confederate club, or
to have made seditious speeches, or to have subscribed
to a fund for the purchase of arms, or to have attended
meetings for drilling and training ; and if it was also
known that he had relinquished such associations and
practices, and especially if he was desirous of leaving the
country, there was no anxiety to prosecute him or delay
his departure.

JOHN MITCHEL.

The most important case tried in Dublin was that of
John Mitchel, for treason-felony, grounded on his pub-
lications in The United Irishman newspaper. He had been

Informers. 223

committed by me, and on the 27th May he was convicted
and sentenced to transportation for fourteen years. The
only relic of the period in my possession is his */ pattern
pike," which was found in his house when the police
seized the premises. On the day of his condemnation,
I was passing along Capel Street on an outside hackney
jaunting-car. At Mary's Abbey corner I was recognized
by a crowd of roughs, and saluted with a volley of stones.
Not one of the missiles struck me, but the carman received
a blow on the point of his left elbow which caused intense
pain and elicited copious maledictions. Police were close
at hand, and protected me from further aggression. I
suggested to the driver that the stone was not intended
for him, to which he replied — " It hurt me all the same.
Them vagabones should'nt throw stones without knowing
who they'd hit."

INFORMERS.

No more offensive epithet can be applied in this country,
in the warmest spirit of invective, than that of an " infor-
mer/' I have repeatedly heard it asserted as a popular
maxim, that all informers should be shot. I can truly
and deliberately declare it to be my firm conviction, that
if all the informers of 1848 were so disposed of, the Con-
federate clubs and revolutionary associations of Dublin
would have been decimated. There were in one great
commercial establishment forty Confederates, of whom
ten were in communication with the police. I resided at
Roundtown, and I would often have preferred walking into
town or strolling homeward, when I had to take a seat on
a hackney car or in an omnibus to avoid a request to step
into Blackberry Lane or turn up the Barrack Avenue, and
listen to details of proceedings of which it is highly pro-
bable I had been already fully apprised.

224 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

A smith, in a town between thirty and forty miles from
Dublin, was engaged to manufacture pikes. He made
two hundred and eighty pike-heads, and brought them, ac-
cording to directions which he had received, to a place, the
designation of which was peculiarly appropriate for the re-
ception of such articles, for it was the slaughter-house of a
butcher. They were of the best quality, in respect of mate-
rials and workmanship. The industrious tradesman de-
livered the "goods" to his customer, and was paid fully and
promptly. He then made me acquainted with the transac-
tion, and I referred him to the Commissioners of Police.
They entrusted its management, or perhaps I might more
correctly say its mismanagement, to a superintendent who,
instead of having the premises closely watched, proceeded
precipitately to seize the weapons. They were packed in
strong deal cases, of the contents of which the butcher and
his assistants declared that they had no knowledge. Before
the Executive came to any conclusion as to what course
should be adopted, the hopes of the revolutionists had
been extinguished at Ballingarry. No prosecution was
instituted, and the pike-heads were sent to England where,
I believe, they were transferred to the naval department.

THE CLOSE OF 1848.

On the 1 8th July, 1848, Dublin was proclaimed under
the Crime and Outrage Act, and a bill was introduced
about the same time for suspending the Habeas Corpus
Act. When the government adopted these measures,
several of the clubs came to the conclusion that it would
be advisable to dissolve. In almost every instance the
police authorities were fully informed of such proceedings,
and some of the persons, to whom the books and trans-
actions were entrusted, made us acquainted with their

The Close of 1848 — The Military. 225

contents. The government was extremely anxious to
prevent the formation of revolutionary associations in the
provinces; but as soon as the insurrectionary attempt
of Smith O'Brien collapsed, the executive became less
desirous of exercising severity. It was considered neces-
sary to offer ^500 reward for the apprehension of O'Brien,
and £yx> for the capture of each of his principal asso-
ciates; but / know that the news of their arrival in a
foreign land would have been more welcome in Dublin
Castle than the intelligence of their arrest.

The authorities were aware that at a certain place in
Sandymount, a suburb of Dublin, nightly meetings were
held by some young men who had been engaged in the
Confederate movement, for the purpose of consulting on
the most feasible mode of leaving the country, and pro-
viding the requisite expenses for their departure. There
was not the slightest inclination to balk their wishes or
impede their progress. Some of them have attained
wealthy and important positions in distant lands, and
some have returned home, where they may spend their
remaining days, undisturbed and undisturbing.

During the first six or seven months of 1848, the
superior officers of regiments in Dublin made frequent
communications respecting the assiduous exertions of the
disaffected to sap the loyalty of the soldiery, and effect an
introduction of the military element to their fraternity.
Much time and money were applied to this purpose ; but,
although the sobriety of the soldier was frequently im-
paired, his loyalty remained intact, and his usual apology
for an unsteady step, or for returning late to his quarters,
ascribed the fault to " the bloody rebels." They had made
him drink a great lot of bad toasts, and he wouldn't have
done so for them, if the whisky had not been very good."

a

226 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

The only instance of disaffection found to exist in a mili-
tary body was amongst the Royal Artillery at Portobello
barrack. An Irishman who had enlisted in London, in
1846, under a false name, induced thirteen of his comrades
to join him in forming a Confederate association. Their
usual place of meeting was very near to my residence at
Roundtown ; and the first information which I received
concerning them arose from the resentment of a woman.
I had some communication with Colonel Gordon, the
Adjutant-general of the Ordnance, and we were both
inclined to disbelieve the statement which I had received.
Eventually, however, we became satisfied of its truth, and
acquired such additional evidence as to render the case
sufficiently strong to procure a conviction of all the delin-
quents by a court-martial. I earnestly advised Colonel
Gordon to leave them unprosecuted, but to disperse them.
He adopted my views, and in a few days not one of the
fourteen was in Ireland, neither were any two sent to the
same station. In 1861, I saw the principal offender at
Gibraltar. He was then a sergeant.

The abortive attempt at revolution in 1848 was decidedly
obstructive to the progress of all the industrial pursuits
which conduce to the prosperity of a country and the
comforts of a community. It also involved the expendi-
ture of vast sums in maintaining military forces, aug-
mented police and constabulary, and defraying the expenses
of special commissions. There is only one agreeable
recollection afforded by it. Neither side shed blood.
Popular violence inflicted no mortal injury, and no victim
was demanded by the ultimate restoration of Law and
Order. I am now disposed to lay before my readers a
short extract from a French author, (Le Comte de Melun,)
in reference to insurrectionary movements. It is from his

A French View of Popular Commotions. 227

" Life of Sister Rosalie, the Superioress of the Order of
Charity/' A work crowned by the French Academy.

€€ In the ranks of society against which they appear to
be more specially directed, insurrections and revolutions
suspend profit, diminish revenue, compel a restriction of
outlay, and introduce inquietude and torment where secu-
rity and abundance previously prevailed. But their conse-
quences are far more afflicting and grievous upon those
who live with great difficulty upon the labor of each day.
The least commotion in the street stops the work, and of
course the wages. It changes the difficulties of life into
the deepest misery.

" Whatever may be the issue of the movements for
which their aid is bespoken, the people are always the
dupes and victims of these sanguinary comedies. Whilst
many of those who speak in their name, who push them
on to the conflict, who breathe into their ears the senti-
ments of revolution, conceal themselves during the com-
bat, escape the consequences of defeat, and are always
foremost to adjudge to themselves the advantages of suc-
cess ; the wretched people are exposed to blows on the
field of battle, to prison or exile in case of defeat, to the
diminution of employment, and thereby to an abridgment
of their resources if they are conquerors — for it requires
much time, after a successful revolution, to restore secu-
rity to capital, activity to commerce, its proper balance to
society ; and the workman has not, as an inducement to
patience, like the heads of parties, portfolios, important
situations, and a share in the budget. Then, after having
suffered much, and waited long for the day of compensa-
tion, the mere individual does not see it arrive, and remains
as he was previously — a workman, when he does not be-
come a pauper."

CHAPTER XXI.

CHOLERA : AN IMPATIENT PATIENT J GOOD NEWS !

ONLY TYPHUS FEVER ROYAL VISITS SCOTCH

SUPERIORITY STRONGLY ASSERTED A POLICE

BILL STIGMATISED LEAVE OF ABSENCE— THE

RHINE — THE RHINELAND.

Leaving to my readers, without any comment from my-
self, the consideration of the statements and sentiments
contained in the extracts from the French author, I pass
to the year 1849, which certainly afforded a most agreeable
contrast to its immediate predecessor in the almost total
cessation of political agitations and asperities. The only
regrettable circumstance to which my recollections of the
latter year can revert being the appearance of cholera in
Dublin, early in April, and its continuance, with intermit-
ting violence, until October. It was far less prevalent
than it had been in T832, and, in almost every instance,
the disease was ascribed to the use of fish, fruit, acid
drinks, or habitual intemperance. In the great majority
of cases ardent spirits were administered ; and the police
were frequently complained to by officers of health and
other sanitary officials who had been called on to relieve
pretended sufferings, in the expectation of brandy or
whisky being promptly afforded. Occasionally, on being

Royal Visits. 229

refused the coveted dram, the mock sufferer became at once
invigorated, and addressed abusive language and threats of
personal violence to " the cholera fellow." Some instances
of opprobrious and menacing expressions were brought by
summons under my cognizance, and for such I prescribed
a month's sojourn in the Richmond Bridewell, unless the
delinquent found two good and substantial sureties for his
good behaviour. One of these summonses was reported,
I believe by Mr. Dunphy, in the Freeman's Journal. It
was described as "an affair in which a patient became
impatient, because he was not stimulated when he simu-
lated."

My residence at Roundtown was not far from a range
of small cottages occupied by the laboring class. One of
our female servants alarmed my family by stating that the
cholera was very nigh, for that she had seen five poor
people taken off to hospital from the cottages near the
quarry. I mentioned her statement to a police sergeant,
and requested him to inquire if it was correct. In about
half an hour, he returned and said, " Your worship, I have
good news for you. The cholera has not come near you :
it is only the typhus fever.J

»

ROYAL VISITS.

In 1849, Dublin had the honour of a Royal visit, which
was regarded by all classes as a most gratifying event.
On the 5th of August, her Majesty Queen Victoria arrived
in Kingstown Harbour, accompanied by Prince Albert,
the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal, Prince Alfred,
and the Princess Alice. The Victoria and Albert yacht
was escorted by ten war steamers, and the squadron an-
chored about eight o'clock in the evening. The Queen
made a public entry into Dublin on the following day,

230 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

and remained in Ireland until the 1 oth. Having a perfect
recollection of George the Fourth's visit in 1831, I pre-
sume to say that the reception of Victoria was most
respectful and cordial, and did not indicate the slightest
approach to sycophantic adulation. I would not apply
the same terms in describing the popular demonstrations
which her uncle's visit produced ; for if ever a community
manifested unanimous servility and insane enthusiasm, it
was when his Irish subjects accorded to George the Fourth
a homage almost idolatrous. Both visits occurred in the
same month, but with an interval of twenty-eight years.
I hope that I shall not be deemed too discursive in men-
tioning that the King was received by the municipal autho-
rities, with the usual ceremonies, at the northern end of
Upper Sackville Street, where a gate had been constructed
for his admission ; and over the external side there ap-
peared a very conspicuous inscription, derived from the
sixth book of Virgil's -32neid —

" Hie vir, hie est, tibi quern promitti saepius audis,
Augustas." *

The meaning of this quotation did not seem a difficult
attainment, even to those who had never previously seen a
Latin word. • It was generally construed by such persons,
"Here he is; it is all right; he has come, as he promised,
in August."

It was during the King's sojourn at the Viceregal Lodge
in the Phoenix Park, that an anecdote became current of a
question having been addressed by him to an Irish foot-
man as to whether there was any person in the establish-
ment who understood German ? to which the interrogated
domestic replied, " Please your Majesty, I don't know

* Here is the man ; here you may now behold
Augustus, promised oft, and long foretold.

Royal Visits. 231

anyone who spakes Jarman, but I have a brother who
plays the Jarman flute."

In 1849, wnen it became known that Queen Victoria
would visit Dublin, a great influx of the nobility and gen-
try was reasonably expected. The city became also very
attractive to persons of a different and objectionable de-
scription. Great numbers of mendicants arrived, and the
increase of beggars on our streets became most disagree-
ably apparent. The Commissioners of Police immediately
told off constables in plain clothes on the special duty of
repressing the nuisance, and so vigilant and active were
they, that our thoroughfares were less infested by beggars
during the Royal visit than I ever knew them to be at any
other period. The committals were generally for ten or
fourteen days; and many of the vagrants were by no
means slow in attributing their confinement to special
orders from the Queen herself to have the beggars locked
up while she was in Dublin. A woman, who was com-
mitted by me for a fortnight on a conviction for mendi-
cancy, exclaimed, as she was leaving the police-court,
" Mr. Porter is sending us to jail in hopes of getting him-
self made Sir Frank."

During the Queen's progress through the city on the
6th of August, the whole line of the procession was
densely crowded, the windows were occupied, and banners,
emblematic of respect and welcome, abundantly displayed ;
and she was universally hailed with enthusiastic shouts
of applause. In the evening there was a general and
most brilliant illumination. The whole day passed without
the slightest tumult or accident, until about eleven o'clock
at night, when the vast crowds were dispersed by the
heaviest rain that I ever witnessed in Ireland. The shower
lasted about an hour. During the succeeding four days,

232 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

Her Majesty visited the principal public institutions, and
held a levee in Dublin Castle, the most numerous and
influential that had ever been assembled there, and a
drawing-room which exhibited an unprecedented display
of rank, fashion, and beauty. On the ioth of August,
she embarked at Kingstown, amidst the acclamations of
assembled thousands, and sailed for England. She afforded
signal acknowledgments of her appreciation of the recep-
tion she had experienced from her Irish subjects, for on
leaving the pier at Kingstown, she ordered the Royal
standard to be lowered and raised again on board the
Royal yacht, a mark of honor never before employed
except for a Royal personage. In a short time after her
visit of 1849, sne created her eldest son Earl of Dublin.

SCOTCH SUPERIORITY STRONGLY ASSERTED.

Several months elapsed after the exciting and gratifying
demonstrations to which I have last adverted, during which
time we had profound quietude, and a total cessation of
political turmoils. I cannot recollect any incident, public
or official, which I would consider worth a reader's notice.
I shall mention, however, that there was then here an
individual character with whom I had occasional com-
munication, and from whom I derived considerable amuse-
ment almost every time we met. He was a man of high
military rank, holding an important garrison appointment.
Kind, courteous, and affable, he had, nevertheless, some
extraordinary prejudices, which I took every opportunity
to induce him to express. He was a Scotchman, who
insisted that his country and its people were superior to
every other region and race, and who did not hesitate to
disparage any attempt to assign even an equality with the
Scotch to the natives of any other kingdom. His greatest

A Police Bill Stigmatised. 233

explosions of indignation seemed specially reserved for a
comparison, if at all favorable, of the Irish with the Scotch.
Consequently, I boldly ascribed a manifest superiority to
my countrymen over his in intelligence, integrity, diligence,
neatness, promptitude of action, and all other estimable
qualities which could be evinced in either peaceful or
martial avocations ; so that I was sure to produce a denial
of all my statements, and a suggestion that I should never
repeat them without blushing. Still I persevered, and
enjoyed the excitement which my expressions elicited. A
few days before he left Dublin we had a conference, and,
as usual, I boasted of Burke, Grattan, Curran, Goldsmith,
Moore, Sheridan, Wellington, Gough, &c. He insisted
that Scotland could produce equal or perhaps superior
characters, if she had the opportunity. I remarked that
even when Irishmen engaged in nefarious criminal pur-
suits, they evinced superior dexterity, and that our thieves
were peculiarly knowing and adroit. "Your thieves!" he
exclaimed, " I'll be d d if we haven't thieves in Edin-
burgh or Glasgow that your Dublin fellows couldn't hold
a candle to/'

A POLICE BILL STIGMATISED.

In the session of Parliament of 1850, a bill was brought
in by the Government for the revision and consolidation
of the acts regulating the Dublin Metropolitan Police.
It was printed, and a considerable number of copies were
circulated in Dublin. We regarded it as a most desirable
measure, for it would, if passed, have substituted a sim-
plified code for an involved and complicated hotch-potch
of seven statutes containing about four hundred sections.
The police authorities were extremely anxious for the suc-
cess of the proposed bill, but it was objected to by others,

<. *»

234 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

delayed, and ultimately, at the close of the session, became
one of the sufferers in the " Massacre of the Innocents."
Whilst it was pending, an alderman made it the subject,
at a meeting of the Corporation, of a most condemnatory
speech. He stigmatised it as unconstitutional and tyran-
nical, and dwelt at considerable length on a section which
would impart power to a divisional magistrate, in case
dealers in certain commodities neglected or refused to
comply with a notice to produce any article in their pos-
session, alleged to have been stolen, to inflict on the person
so neglecting or refusing, a penalty of twenty pounds, and
in default of payment of such penalty, to commit the
offender for two months. He indignantly demanded from
what region of despotism had such a tyrannical proposi-
tion been imported, and declared that it would disgrace
any legislature to enact, or any executive to enforce, such
unconstitutional severity. He was spared the mortifica-
tion of seeing such power imparted to a police magistrate.
The obnoxious bill was not passed, and the law remained
unaltered. By it the tyrannical penalty is only Jifly pounds,
with an alternative imprisonment of merely six months.
I do not believe, however, » that there has ever been an
instance of such a penalty being exacted or such imprison-
ment inflicted.

LEAVE OF ABSENCE.

In the year 1851 my magisterial duties, which did not
indeed afford any incident worthy of being particularized,
were interrupted by a severe attack of gastric fever; on
my recovery from which, I was directed by my medical
attendant to proceed to Wiesbaden, and take such baths
and drink such mineral waters as should be prescribed bv
a certain English physician residing there, Dr. Lewis. I

Leave of Absence. 235

waited on the Chief Secretary, Sir William Somerville,
who subsequently became Lord Athlumney, and requested
leave of absence for a month or six weeks. He took a
printed form of reply, directed it to me, and signed it.
By this document I was granted " leave of absence for

." On remarking to him that he had not specified

the duration of the indulgence, the worthy gentleman was
pleased to compliment me by saying, " I have left a blank
for the time.. Go, and stay until your health and strength
are completely renovated, and fill up the blank at your
return. You are deserving of the most favorable treat-
ment." I record with gratitude and pride such an ac-
knowledgment of my anxious endeavours to discharge my
official duties with efficiency; but I must also say that
kindness and benignity were amongst his prominent cha-
racteristics. I left Dublin at the latter end of May, and
proceeded through London to Ostend, and from thence
by railway to Bonn, where I commenced ascending a the
wide and winding Rhine." Whilst waiting at the wharf
for the steamer, and contemplating " The castled crag of
Drachenfels," I thought of Byron's lines, in which he
describes the scenery which -appeared so enchanting to
Childe Harold, and also how

" Peasant girls with deep blue eyes,
And hands which offer early flowers,
Walk smiling o'er this paradise ; "

and I felt that the landscape before me transcended even
his description. I had, however, the greatest contrast
offered to my view so far as regarded eyes, hands, or smiles.
Four females approached with flowers, which they desired
to sell. They were all old women, and they constituted,
in their features and figures, the most complete realization
of hideous ugliness. It is not my intention to attempt

236 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

any description of the scenes which successively astonished
and delighted me whilst proceeding up the Rhine from
Bonn to Mentz. I would fully adopt the unexaggerated
truth contained in four short lines —

" The river nobly foams and flows,

The charm of this enchanted ground,
And all its thousand turns disclose
Some fresher beauty varying round.1'

I found the steamer extremely convenient and most
agreeable, especially for a person debilitated by severe and
recent indisposition. I do not recollect the charges for
conveyance or refreshments, but I considered them mode-
rate, and relished my repasts greatly, whether as regarded
their materials, culinary preparation, or table attendance.
The few hotels at which I stopped were very comfortable
in every respect. At the Giant Hotel, Coblentz, I
observed that the delicious wine, sparkling Moselle, was
given for a Rhenish florin and a half, (two shillings and
sixpence,) per bottle, and that Guinness's Dublin Porter
was precisely the same price there. I have heard some
Germans, who understood English, remark on the designa-
tion almost universally given to the Rhenish wines by us.
The vineyards are nearly all on places considerably ele-
vated, and the names of the wines have generally the
prefix of " High/' The German word is " Hoch," and
they give it a guttural pronunciation which the Irish and
Scotch can utter perfectly, but which an Englishman
cannot accomplish. He hardens "hoch" into "hock/*
and adopts the prefix alone as the name of the exhilarating
fluid, and we follow his example. The mistake, how-
ever, is perfectly harmless, for the abbreviation has not
lessened the production, or deteriorated the flavor of the
liquor.

The Rhineland. 237

At Coblentz, I saw in a square before a church, the
name of which I do not remember, a monument with two
inscriptions, the first of which I considered indicative of
silly and premature pride, whilst the second formed an
instance of a complete junction of wit and wisdom. In
1 81 a, when the French had occupied Moscow, the pre-
fect of Coblentz erected the monument and inscribed it
thus —

AN. MDCCCXII.

Memorable par la Campagne

contre les russes,

m

SOUS LA PREFECTURE DE JULES DOAZAN.*

In 1 814 the fortunes of war had necessitated the retreat
of the French before the allied forces, and Coblentz was
occupied by the Russians. Instead of demolishing the
memorable record of the previous campaign, the Russian
commander of the force, by which the town was captured,
caused a supplementary statement to be added, which
clearly showed the complete change of affairs. The addi-
tion was as follows : —

vu et approuve par nous, commandant russe de la ville de

Coblentz. i Jan. 18144

The people of Coblentz appeared to enjoy drawing a
stranger's notice to these inscriptions, and it was easy
to perceive that they considered the annexation of the
Rhenish provinces to France, by the first Napoleon, as

* The year 1 812. Memorable by the campaign against the Russians,
during the prefecture of Jules Doazan.

t Seen and approved by me, the Russian commander of Coblentz,
1st Jan. 1814.

238 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

not merely objectionable, but detestable and insufferable.
I believe that the same sentiments pervaded every part of
Germany, which had been under the rule or in the occu-
pation of the French. As far as my sojourn in Germany
enabled me to form an opinion, I thought that the people
liked the English very much, and thoroughly disliked the
French. I found them most friendly, and on several
occasions when I have wished to procure fruit, and pro-
duced money, pointing at the same time to apple, pear, or
plum trees, in the unfenced gardens and orchards near
Wiesbaden, the tree would be shaken, and signs made to
me to pick up the fallen fruits, and money would be de-
clined. This kindness was accorded to me because I was
deemed an Englishman. I do not believe that an apple
would have been gratuitously tendered to a Frenchman. In
the places of public amusement, I repeatedly heard a
certain lively tune played. It seemed to be decidedly
popular, and I was informed that it owed its popularity to
the fact of having been the quick-step to which the
Prussians advanced upon the flank of the French army at
the close of the battle of Waterloo.

In the preceding paragraph, I have mentioned unfenced
gardens and orchards. I have passed along roads in the
Rhenish land where, for five or six miles, there were no
fences whatever between the highway and grounds appro-
priated to the culture of choice fruits and vegetables, and
where no hedge, wall, or ditch intervened to distinguish or
separate one holding from another. The bounds were
marked by poles, on the tops of which bits of straw or
dried rushes were plaited ; but even such marks were not
considered necessary at the edges of the public thorough-
fare. Of course, in those districts grazing was impracti-
cable. No sheep or goats were to be seen, no horses,

The Rhineland. 239

unless such as were yoked or saddled ; and the food for the
cows was usually conveyed, in the morning and evening,
from the place of its production, in a cart drawn by one of
themselves. The summer feeding for the cattle consisted
of clover, Italian rye-grass, Lucern, American cow-grass,
or vetches. I observed that the fodder was cut and left
lying sufficiently long to become flagged before it was
given to the animals. The tillage in those districts pre-
sented a great contrast to the generality of Irish crops.
Neatness and cleanliness characterized the German cul-
ture, and the weeds were excluded from the partnership
which is so liberally accorded to them here. Near Wies-*
baden, I saw a very flourishing crop, which occupied, in
my opinion, about two acres, and I was informed by
Dr. Greiss, that the elevation of the place above sea-level
was 2400 ft. The growth was tobacco, for the production
of which our soil and climate are as well suited as those
in which the Germans cultivate it. There it is taxed, or,
as I believe, taken by the Government at a valuation, and
made an Imperial monopoly. Here it is prohibited, to
form, perhaps, a very apt and forcible illustration of the
principle of Free Trade.

The springs at Wiesbaden are not numerous, but they
constitute great natural curiosities. There is one which,
if I remember rightly, is called the Kochbrunnen. It is
intensely hot ; and I was told that even in winter, the
water is used for scalding the hair off slaughtered pigs.
It gushes up profusely ; and yet, within fifty yards of it,
there is a spring extremely cold and effervescent, precisely
similar to the Seltzer water. Whilst the Roman empire
continued, almost all the Rhineland was appurtenant to it,
and Wiesbaden was then designated " Mattiacae aquae."
It is believed that Nero visited it for the benefit of his

^ 1

240 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

health ; and there is a locality close to the town, where he
is said to have sojourned, and which is named Nerothal,
(Nero's valley.) Some ancient edifices have Latin inscrip-
tions denoting their former use or the names of their pris-
tine occupants. The Germans take special care of such
antique remains ; and instead of destroying relics of hea-
thenism, they show them as indicating a state of darkness
and degradation to which Christianity offers the greatest
and most glorious contrast. In reference to the gratitude
of their votaries to Pagan deities for benefits attributed to
the exercise of their peculiar powers, I only recollect one
mythological inscription, which I was prevented from
forgetting by a ludicrous comment on it, made by a
Manchester visitant at Wiesbaden. In the Raemerbad,
(Roman bath,) there was a mural tablet in perfect preser-
vation, every letter on the stone being as distinct as when
cut many centuries ago. It was as follows : —

" ^ESCULAPIO SANATORI, MILITES QUATUORDECIMiE LEGION IS, OB
VALETUDINEM RESTAURArAM, HANC TABULAM VOTIVAM.

D.D.D."

The Manchester gent and I had become acquainted at
the table d' hote of the " Four Seasons," and we happened
to stroll into the Raemerbad at the same time. Pointing
to the mural tablet, he said —

" Mr. Porter, they say that is Latin."
" Yes," I replied, " you have been rightly informed."
" Could you untwist it, and tell us what it is about ?"
" I shall try. To ^Esculapius the healer, the soldiers of
the fourteenth legion, in consequence of their health being
restored, give, inscribe, and dedicate this votive tablet."

"Good heavens!" he exclaimed, "those chaps were
wide awake ; and they knew how to pay a nice compli-
ment, for of course this Skewlaypius was their regimented
doctor"

The Rhineland. 241

I regretted that there was not another tablet extant
declaratory of their veneration and devotion to Mars, for
it would have elicited the interesting suggestion that his
military rank was, at least, that of a colonel.

I recollect seeing on an ancient tower of octagonal
form, near Andernach, an inscription, in reference to
which I heard many conjectures, and some of them ex-
tremely absurd. It was as follows ; —

" SlSTE PAULULUM, AMBULA PAULULUM, SEDERE VETITUM EST, ET

DORMIRE EST MORI."*

The conclusion at which I arrived was, that immediately
beneath this direction a sentinel's station had been esta-
blished, and that whether he stood, or walked " his lonely
round/' he was to bear in mind that to slumber on his
post was inexcusable, and subjected him to the forfeiture
of life.

One day I sat, in the large dining-room of the Four
Seasons, near a noble lord who, with his lady, had been
there for some weeks. She was a native of Germany, and
he was an Irishman who possessed extensive estates in a
southern county. I heard him say to a gentleman, who
was recommending him to visit Frankfort-on-the-Maine,
that he could not adopt his suggestion, as he was obliged
to start for home on the next day but one. That evening
I was speaking to the landlord, and mentioned that I
had heard my noble countryman tell his friend that he was
about to leave. The landlord replied, " I am delighted to
hear that they are going, for her other husband is to be
here next week, and their meeting would be rather unplea-
sant, especially as he is bringing his other wife.

* Stand awhile, walk awhile, to sit down is forbidden, and to sleep is
to die."

242 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

At a short distance from Wiesbaden, the road to
Schlangenbad (the serpent's bath) passes through a por-
tion of a very extensive forest. .In one of my rambles, I
left the highway, and walked into the dense wood, and
when I thought that I had gone far enough, and that it was
time to return, I became suddenly aware that I had lost
my way. In a state of extreme uneasiness I walked for
more than an hour, frequently shouting, but without hear-
ing any responsive voice. Dismal ideas arose in my mind
as to the probability of having to meet dangers and priva-
tions beyond my power of resistance or endurance. At
length I found that there was a hill before me, on which
the trees were rather sparse ; and having attained the ele-
vation, I was relieved from my apprehensions by a glimpse
of the Rhine, and immediately directed my steps towards
the river, and soon emerged from the forest. If any of
my readers should contemplate a visit to any place in the
vicinity of extensive woods, they will avoid all liability
to such annoyance as I suffered, by refraining from soli-
tary forest rambles, and by taking such excursions with a
guide, or with companions acquainted with the localities.
Before I left Wiesbaden, a young gentleman named
Vernon was found dead in the Taunus forest. His death
was attributed to the bite of an adder or viper.

In the Kursahl, at Wiesbaden, there was a Roulette
table, and also one for Rouge et Noir. The gambling was
not considered at all comparable to the play at Baden-
Baden ; nevertheless, I have seen many instances of
serious, perhaps of ruinous losses. On one occasion I
observed an Englishman who sat down at the Rouge etNoir
table. He had a large leathern purse full of gold, and cer-
tainly more than one thousand pounds in Bank of Eng-
land notes of fifty pounds each. In less than an hour, all

The Rhineland. 243

his money was absorbed, and some exclamations, garnished
with imprecations, as he retired, impressed me with the
opinion that he was reduced to destitution. Whilst I ex-
press the warmest approval of the abolition of those gamb-
ling establishments, and their recent suppression in the Ger-
man towns, I must admit having tried my luck occasion-
ally to the extent of four florins (about six shillings and
eightpence.) In almost every instance the remorseless
rake added my stake to the accumulations of " the bank."
On the last evening that I was at the Kursahl, I went in
a party of nine persons, of whom six were ladies. One of
my fair companions proposed that each of us should contri-
bute four florins, and stake the amount on red. This was
acceded to, and I stepped forward and placed the money
on the colour. The bystanders were numerous, and when
it was announced that the red had won, I picked up the
seventy-two florins, but whilst doing so, I heard an ex-
clamation from one of the crowd — €t That would be a nice
story to tell at the Dublin police-office."

During my stay at Wiesbaden, I visited Mentz, or
Mayence, several times. On the first occasion, I was
crossing the bridge from the right bank of the Rhine, and
met a young officer in Austrian uniform. At that period
Mentz was termed a Confederate town, and its garrison
was composed of an equal number of Prussian and Aus-
trian troops. I had seen enough of them at Wiesbaden
to satisfy me that an inquiry on the part of a stranger
would receive a kind and polite reply. I consequently
accosted the gentleman in French, being auite destitute of
German beyond the name of the place to which I wished
to go, which was the Music Garden. To my surprise
and great gratification, he said, " If it is the same thing
to you, Mr. Porter, to speak English, I shall give you any

244 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

information in my power/' I told him that I wanted a
direction to the Music Garden, and he replied, " I have to
leave an order with the officer on guard at the Cassel end
of the bridge, and then I shall return to my quarters, and
the Music Garden is on the way, I shall show it to you
in a few minutes." During our walk, I asked him how
he knew my name, and was informed that he remembered
seeing me at the assizes of Nenagh ; that he was a " Tip-
perary boy," born and reared within sight of the Devil's
Bit Mountain, and his name was Scully. He was a cap-
tain in an infantry regiment, and appeared to be perfectly
contented with his position and its attendant prospects.
We thoroughly fraternized, and I never again went to
Mentz without calling at his quarters. He expressed an
intention of visiting Ireland, and promised to favor me
with a renewal of our friendly intercourse in Dublin ; but
my hopes of seeing him have not been realized, and I fear
that he has not escaped all the disastrous combats in
which, since 185T, the Austrian forces have been en-
gaged.

Nothing tends more to render a sojourn in the Rhine-
land agreeable, than the great number of persons connected
with hotels, railways, steamers, and other public estab-
lishments, who understand English. Indeed I may ex-
tend the observation to Belgium also. A foreigner in
Dublin, if he is unacquainted with our language, has to
encounter more difficulties than we would have to contend
with in the places to which I have referred. This is to
be regretted ; for exquisitely beautiful as Rhenish, Swiss,
or Italian scenery may be justly considered, still Ireland
can present to a foreign tourist, views numerous and ex-
tensive, which cannot be surpassed in picturesque beauty.
I have never met a foreigner who had seen the principal

The Rhineland. 245

places of attraction in our country, who was not most
enthusiastic in his expressions of admiration. Our insular
position is no longer a serious obstacle to the traveller
who may wish to visit even the most remote districts ;
and it is to be hoped that at no distant time Ireland shall
be far better known by strangers. They should be en-
couraged by the most respectful and attentive treatment ;
and when we find that in the Mechanics' Institute of
Dublin, a member will be instructed in French, German,
or Italian, at the very moderate charge of six shillings per
quarter, it is not creditable to our trading and operative
classes that they should not attain to educational acquire-
ments equal to those possessed by a considerable number
of the same classes in several continental countries.
Although I am a Dublin man, I regret that I must admit
the superiority of Cork as regards the means of satisfac-
tory communication with foreigners, understanding them
and being understood.

Before I close my observations on the very interesting
portion of Germany in which I bad so agreeable a sojourn,
I shall relate a couple of incidents from which my readers
may form an idea as to the honest tendencies of the
people. I spent an evening, along with some of my
Wiesbaden associates, at the Music Garden of Mentz,
and the weather being rather close and sultry, I took off a
waterproof overcoat, and laid it on a rockery just beside
our refreshment table. When the musical performances
and other amusements had terminated, I departed without
recollecting the garment, and arrived at Wiesbaden before
I became aware of my forgetfulness. Next morning I set
off to Mentz to try my chance of recovering the vestment,
but with very slight hopes of succeeding. At the garden,
a person connected with the establishment, on being

246 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

informed of my business, said, in English, €t Coine to the
place where you threw off your overcoat, and you will
most probably find it." Accordingly, when we reached
the rockery, I saw the coat lying where I placed it, and
having possessed myself of it, observed to my conductor
that I was extremely lucky, for unquestionably more than
one thousand persons must have passed the spot on the
previous evening. " Oh, yes," replied the German ; " the
garden was crowded, but there was not a man here who
saw your coat lying there, without knowing that it was not
his."

At Biebrich, the office of the steamers plying on the
Rhine is in a house on the quay. It faces the south, but
abuts the public thoroughfare without any rails or other
fence. On the front wall there were two vines, on which
there was an abundant crop of grapes ; and on the day of
my departure, whilst waiting for the steamer, I remarked
to the agent that his fruit was almost ripe, and that it
appeared to be of first-rate quality. He said that another
week would suffice to ripen them perfectly, and that they
were of very fine flavor. I observed that there was a
strong temptation for his neighbours, and even for the
casual passengers who walked the quay, to assume a part-
nership in such desirable productions. He seemed sur-
prised at my observation, and told me that no person
would interfere with his vines, adding, "The grapes will
be all left for me to gather. They have never been taken
by anyone else, for they are grown on my wall, and are
mine." I do not think that in any part of the United
Kingdom there would be the slightest chance of fruit
grown in a similar public situation, and unprotected by a
strong fence, being left to the enjoyment of its owner, or
even allowed to ripen.

i

CHAPTER XXII.

BRUSSELS — ROYAL CHILDREN — THE GREAT EXHI-
BITION IN LONDON HOME AGAIN : A PREACHER

UNLUCKY RIOTERS VISIT TO PARIS MICHEL

PERRIN.

On my way home from the Rhineland, I stopped for two
days in Brussels, the second of which happened to be the
day on which the anniversary of the attainment of Belgian
independence was celebrated. I recollect seeing a monu-
ment which had been erected to the memory of those who
had been killed in the ranks of the Belgian revolutionists,
and amongst the names inscribed on it I observed " Cor-
coran, Irlandais," so that the Emerald Isle was not totally
unrepresented on the occasion. Brussels was very full
at the time of the f6te, and in its crowded streets and
squares a tolerable idea might be obtained of the confusion
of tongues incident to the abortive attempt to erect the
Tower of Babel. German, French, Flemish, English,
Italian, Spanish, and the various languages of the more
northern countries were abundantly ventilated, and with
an effect which I thought extremely amusing. The city
presented a very martial appearance, for not only the
regular troops but the national guards also of the kingdom
were made available for a grand review by their sovereign,

248 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

Leopold the First. Each regiment had its " vivandieres"
and I was informed that those of the national guards
were women of the same social rank as the members of
the regiment to which they were attached. Their costume
was as much assimilated to the uniforms of their respec-
tive regiments as female attire would permit. The grena-
diers had vivandieres of a height proportionally tall ; the
other regiments were accompanied by women, perhaps I
should say ladies, of lesser stature, but all of them were,
in my opinion, unexceptionally beautiful, and of most
graceful and decorous demeanor.

At the time to which I refer, 1851, I was impressed
with the conviction that no people could be more attached
to a sovereign than the Belgians were to Leopold and to
his family. I did not form that opinion from the loud
and spontaneous acclamations which greeted him and his
children in the streets and at the review, but from the
joyous expression which irradiated the countenances of
all ranks and conditions, and impressed me with the belief
that their loyalty was not merely respectful, but thoroughly
sincere and affectionate. Regal splendor may dazzle its
beholders, and popular demonstrations may excite and
perhaps enlist many of those who witness their display ;
but I venture to assert that human nature can produce no
spectacle more worthy of being admired and remembered
than the cordial and enthusiastic reception of a benign and
beloved monarch, by contented, happy, and loyal subjects.

ROYAL CHILDREN.

On the occasion to which I have last referred, one of
the royal carriages^ contained three children, two boys and
a girl, with their tutor and governess. The girl was
Leopold's only daughter, and her name was identical with

Royal Children. 249

that of his first wife, Charlotte. The little Belgian prin-
cess was then eleven years of age, and was exceedingly
pretty. She was delicately fair, blue-eyed, and flaxen-
haired, and appeared to appreciate highly the popular ac-
clamations which were frequently announced as specially
intended for her. The joyous countenance, irradiated by
the excitement incident to demonstrations of enthusiastic
approbation, seemed inaccessible to the wrinkles of care,
and exempt from the lachrymal effects of sorrow. Never-
theless, that royal child has furnished a most piteous
instance of the mutability of fortune, of accumulated mi-
series substituted for the apparent approach of transcen-
dent happiness. To her have been allotted

" The hopes that but allure to fly,

The joys that vanish while we sip ;
Like Dead-Sea fruits that tempt the eye,
But turn to ashes on the lip !"

In about six years after the time to which my reminis-
cence refers, she became the consort of Ferdinand Maxi-
milian, eldest brother of the Emperor of Austria, who
subsequently, at the instance of Napoleon the Third,
assumed the title of Emperor of Mexico, but having
utterly failed in his efforts to establish the Imperial autho-
rity to which he aspired, was shot as a culprit, by order
of the President Juarez, in 1867, leaving his bereaved
widow in such affliction as to produce a state of insanity
from which she is not expected to recover.

THE GREAT EXHIBITION IN LONDON.

On my return from the Continent, I spent a few days
in London, and had a most gratifying opportunity of seeing
the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, which, apart from its

250 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

own attractions and merits, afforded an example to the
civilized nations of the world, stimulating their pursuits
of the industrial arts, awakening dormant energies, and
evoking amicable competitions and peaceful rivalries. I
happened to express to the Commissioner of Police, a
wish to be admitted to the building at night, and he gave
me a note to the Superintendent in charge there, directing
him to conduct me through it. The structure was lighted
sufficiently to afford means to the police on duty to keep
it safe from the designs of marauders and from accidental
injury. Profound, silence was only interrupted by the
chiming of the clocks, and the announcement at certain
intervals of " All 's well." The solitude, the subdued
light, the banners of all nations, statues and other works
of art, of which I was the only spectator in that splendid
and extensive edifice, suggested contemplative feelings
which I am not adequate to express; but I can safely
assert that my midnight visit to the great Crystal Palace
of 1851, afforded me greater gratification than I ever
derived from any public spectacle however gorgeous or
crowded.

HOME AGAIN : A PREACHER.

When I returned to Dublin, I found that one of the
magistrates of the northern division was only waiting for
my appearance before making an application for leave of
absence ; and his request having been acceded to, it was
arranged that I was to do duty in the northern court on
two days in each week, namely, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
I was sitting in my own court on a Wednesday, when
a constable preferred a charge against a man named
Dowling, for collecting a crowd, causing a very great
obstruction in Parliament Street, and refusing to move

A Preacher. 251

on when required. He was a street-preacher, who ap-
peared to be extremely fanatical, insisting that he had a
special mission to announce the glad tidings of salvation
to the benighted people of Dublin. On hearing the evi-
dence, I stated that his conduct was a nuisance, and that
I should send the case for trial, unless the constable
withdrew the complaint on the express promise of the
accused party that the offence should not be repeated.
To this the prosecutor agreed, and the preacher said " he
would shake the dust off his shoes as a testimony against
me, but that I should never again have to investigate
such a complaint against him/' He was discharged ; but
on the following day, I had to dispose of a similar charge
against him in the northern court. He manifested very
little displeasure against his prosecutor, but seemed to
reserve all his indignation for me ; and when I reminded
him of the promise he had made on the previous day, he
replied that he had made himself acquainted with the
bounds of my division in the south of the district, and
did not intend ever to raise his voice there again, but that
I was not satisfied to get rid of him, but had followed him
to the northern division, to continue an unworthy persecu-
tion of a zealous but humble laborer in the vineyard of
salvation. I was highly amused, as were many of the
persons present, at the tendency attributed to me to pursue
the street-preacher ; and when he declared that he would
leave Dublin, I suggested to the police constable the
withdrawal of his charge, to which he readily acceded,
and the accused party was discharged. In about six
weeks after this incident I went to Liverpool with a near
relative who was about to proceed to Australia, and having
gone into the police-courts there when the morning busi-
ness was about to commence, one of the clerks told the

252 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

magistrate (Mr. Rushton) that I was present, and he
most courteously offered me a seat on the bench. The
first charge on the sheet was for obstructing the thorough-
fare, by collecting a crowd, and refusing to desist from
preaching there; and Dowling was the delinquent. He
did not wait for the constable to be sworn or the charge
stated, but at once exclaimed that he despaired of obtain-
ing any justice, when they had imported me from Dublin
to sit in judgment on him there. His excitement and in-
dignation produced great merriment, especially when Mr.
Rushton told him that I was not there in any official ca-
pacity, but as a private individual who had not interfered,
directly or indirectly, in any matter coming before the
court. He was discharged with a caution. I have never
seen him since; and I mention the case of this street-
preacher only to show how accidental circumstances may
produce, in some minds, the most unfounded conclusions.

UNLUCKY RIOTERS.

On my resumption of duty in Dublin, I had very few
cases of importance or peculiar interest to dispose of. I
may mention one in which two men were charged with
being actively engaged in a riotous tumult in Dean Street,
and assaulting the police. They had been extremely violent,
and one of the constahles had been so severely injured as
to be incapacitated for duty during several days. In almost
all such cases the prosecutors prefer a summary decision ;
and in the one to which my present remarks apply, I
stated that I considered the prisoners, Foley and Magrath,
deserved the utmost punishment which I was empowered
to award, namely, two months' imprisonment with hard
labor. The culprits loudly exclaimed against such a judg-
ment, and vociferated that they should get a full and fair

Visit to Paris. 253

trial by a jury. I acceded to their demand, and returned
the informations to the next commission of Oyer et Termi-
ner for the city of Dublin. There never was a more com-
plete exemplification of an escape from the frying-pan by
a fall into the fire. They were tried and convicted before
Baron Richards, and he sentenced them to be imprisoned
for twelve months, and kept to hard labor each alternate
month. Their repugnance to a summary conviction had
received great publicity ; and the increased punishment to
which they were subjected had. the effect of reconciling the
delinquents who were subsequently brought to the police-
court to the fullest exercise, by the magistrates, of their
summary jurisdiction.

VISIT TO PARIS.

In 1853 a prosecution was instituted by a lady, named
Kelly, against a Mr. Birch, whom she accused of em-
bezzling or stealing a very considerable sum of money.
Her informations were sworn before my colleague,
Mr. Magee, and he issued a warrant for the apprehension
of Birch, which was delivered to a very intelligent and
active officer, who subsequently was promoted to be the
chief superintendent. The accused party was supposed
to be in France, whither it was intended to send Mr. Ryan
with the warrant. I had nothing whatever to do with the
case, and I chanced to be sitting beside Mr. Magee when
an application was made to him that he should go to
France, having his expenses fully paid, and taking with
him all the documents relating to the charge, for the
information and satisfaction of the French authorities.
Mr. Magee at once refused the request, alleging that his
health would not admit of rapid travelling, but suggesting
that Mr. Porter might undertake the journey, and fetch all

254 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

the papers likely to induce the French functionaries to
consent to the extradition of Birch, in the event of Ryan
being able to find him. I consented to this arrangement,
and set off for Paris, where I remained for a fortnight
without any arrest having been effected of the accused
party by the officer holding the warrant. I was never
called on to produce the informations, and had no warrant
in my possession, nor did I feel the slightest anxiety on
the subject. Ryan was proceeding to France, when he
ascertained that Birch was in Southampton, and there the
capture was effected, A rumor was circulated in Dublin
that I had gone to Paris to make a search, personally, for
the alleged offender, when, in fact, I had neither the power
nor the inclination to interfere beyond producing the in-
formations which had been sworn before my colleague,
and to authenticate them if required. My expenses were
fully paid, and I found, on returning to Dublin, that the
prosecution was abandoned. My short sojourn in the
French capital was extremely pleasant \ and having made
myself known, as a Dublin police-magistrate, by the pro-
duction of my passport at the prefecture, I experienced
very kind and agreeable attentions. A mau who spoke
English was directed to attend me when visiting the
public institutions, and I received a tricolored card, which
procured me admission to all the theatres. I am tempted
to mention one performance which I saw in a small
theatre on the Boulevard near the large barracks, (La
Caserne de Prince Eugene.) I do not recollect the title of
the piece, but it exhibited the most extraordinary adapta-
tion of machinery that I ever beheld, and the stage-tricks
transcended all that I had previously seen or supposed
possible. A scene represented a railway terminus, and on
the arrival of a train, the engine exploded, and the carriage

Visit to Paris. 255

next to it was torn asunder. One passenger was supposed
to have had his head knocked off, his arms separated from
his shoulders, and his lower extremities from his hips, and
the body, head, and limbs were seen, as the vapor cleared
off, lying on the roof of a shed. Ladders were instantly
applied, and the passenger was taken down piecemeal. A
bench was pushed forward on the platform, it seemed
covered with dark cushions, and the trunk of the victim
was placed on it, the head was affixed and the lower ex-
tremities were attached, an arm was added on the left side,
when a poodle dog joined in the performance by seizing
the other arm and taking it off the stage. Instantly the
man arose, apparently with only one arm, and pursued the
dog, exclaiming that the cursed poodle should not have
his arm for supper. He returned, bringing the arm, and
resumed his place on the bench, where the apparent re-
union of his frame was completed. A surgeon was sup-
posed to have been sent for, and he came too late to claim
any share in the restoration of life and vigor to the dis-
membered patient. On proceeding to feel the pulse, he was
rewarded by a slap on the cheek, accompanied with the con-
temptuous intimation of " Void votre fumoraire." (Here's
your fee.) I may remark that there did not appear to be
any dripping of blood on the shed, neither did the platform
or bench show any gory stains ; and the performers who
represented railway officials of the various grades, and
passengers, male and female, to the number of twenty at
least, intervened four or five times ^between the bench and
the audience, as if actuated by the deepest anxiety for the
supposed sufferer. I was not much surprised at the
apparent deficiency of the right arm, for I had several
times seen the late Pat Brophy, of Dawson Street, Dublin,
representing Nelson in a tableau vivant, and he managed

256 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

on those occasions to appear as if he had lost an arm.
The incidents which I have attempted to describe were
only stage-tricks, but they were most perfectly accom-
plished.

A gentleman, who appeared to me to fill the office of
secretary or chief clerk at the prefecture, availed himself of
several opportunities for having conversations with me in
English. I related to him some of the anecdotes and cir-
cumstances which I have included in the preceding pages,
and he reciprocated by affording me much information
and amusement. At our last interview, M. Hubert gave
me six volumes, containing memoirs derived from the ar-
chives of the Parisian police, from the time of Cardinal
Richelieu's administration down to the accession of Louis
Philip. I cannot offer many extracts from these volumes
to the reader, but I shall notice two narratives which I
was assured were, in their main circumstances, strictly
true. One was subsequently shown to me in a collection
of tales, and I considered it so amusing that I shall trans-
late it in these pages. The other will, I hope, be deemed
a striking instance of mere fact being far stranger than
fiction. The former was entitled " Michel Perrin," and it
is as follows : —

MICHEL PERRIN. -

" I must go ; I must depart as soon as possible. I
plainly perceive that she has sold her watch without in-
forming me. She has to work hard from morning to
night ; the needle of a woman cannot provide for the re-
quirements of two persons. Ah ! I ought to have left
long before this ! But where to go ? without money,
without family influence, without friends ! How to get
on in a world where I have never as yet lived, of the habits

Michel Perrin . 257

and customs of which I am as uninformed as an infant
child ! Nevertheless, I shall go, were I to beg on the
highway ; were I to die of hunger, I shall go."

This soliloquy is referred to the eighth year of the Re-
public, in a very humble apartment, which perhaps still
exists at Dijon, and which was then inhabited by a former
pastor of a small village in the department of the Cote-
d'Or. Michel Perrin, who had lived up to that time in
performing acts of charity, praying to his Creator, and
cultivating the garden of his manse, had found himself
torn from the asylum in which twenty-two years of his
tranquil existence had been spent. Deprived of the slender
stipend attached to his functions, persecuted by some
agents of the Republican Government, and suspected by
all, the poor priest had rambled for a considerable time
from village to village, sometimes to avoid captivity, some-
times to avail himself of the friendship of the many kind
hearts whose gratitude he had earned in happier times.
Lastly, for a year he had lived at Dijon. There he had
rejoined his sister, Madeleine Perrin, the supreme mistress
of his establishment, and also his sole support in the
world.

Madeleine, on leaving the manse, had betaken herself
direct to Dijon, where she hoped to renew some old friend-
ships, and to support herself by needlework. She had
fully succeeded in utilising her talents for sewing to the
extent of providing for her own wants ; but when the good
pastor, yielding to her earnest entreaties, had come to oc-
cupy one of the two little garret-rooms which constituted
her residence, Madeleine soon became aware that a man,
still in vigorous health and of good appetite, is more diffi-
cult to be fed than to be lodged.

She nevertheless completely refrained from discovering

258 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

to her dear Michel the slightest shadow of her uneasiness
regarding the. future of them both. Anyone who heard
her singing whilst plying her needle, or who had witnessed
how, after having placed upon the table a savory repast,
she cried, " Michel, your dinner is ready/1 would pro-
nounce her to be a happy lass. However, at night, Made-
leine was no sooner on her bed, and aware, by his loud
snoring, that her brother was soundly sleeping, than a
crowd of sad thoughts would arise to besiege her mind.
When a delay in the payment of her earnings produced
some difficulties, eight days of sickness brought a fearful
aggravation of her misery. Moreover, she was becoming
aged, being only two years younger than Michel, who was
entering on his fiftieth year. Already her sight was weak-
ened, and soon she might be unable to sew, even with the
aid of glasses. In vain did poor Madeleine strive to dispel
thoughts so dark, so afflicting. More than once did the
rising sun irradiate her chamber, and recall her to work
without her eyes having been closed by sleep.

On his part, Michel Perrin, notwithstanding the efforts
of his sister to conceal the result of his residence with her,
was not slow in discovering the sad truth. From that time
he had not ceased to form plans to effect the earning on his
own part of even a few pence ; but Madeleine repelled every
suggestion which appeared to her as tending to lessen
the dignity of the reverend pastor. Only one project had
received her assent. She agreed to see her brother, whose
studies had been refined and extensive, giving lessons in
Greek and Latin, so that no person could have a son or
nephew without being besought by her to make the boy
learn the dead languages, and to choose Michel Perrin as
his master; but whether the people of Dijon made little
of those old acquirements, or that the learning of a village

Michel Perrin. 259

pastor did not inspire them with sufficient confidence,
Madeleine addressed herself in vain to her friends or em-
ployers to give the smallest pupil to her brother, at even
the smallest price. " He is still very clever/' the poor
woman would say, when she tried one of her vain efforts ;
" I wish vou would come and see us. He never reads
anything but Latin or Greek, except when he is at his
breviary. If that does not convince you of his capability,
I can say no more." She derived from all her applica-
tions only deep sighs without even shallow hopes.

It was true that the worthy pastor had no other amuse-
ment whatsoever than repeated perusals of Homer and
Tacitus, which he had managed to save from the wreck of
his scanty chattels. They constituted his whole library.
Leading a life completely retired, when the weather pre-
cluded him from taking a solitary ramble, he passed his
time in reading, praying, or chatting with his sister, whose
voice was almost the only one by which he had been
accosted during the past twelve months; consequently,
although his affection for Madeleine had been always very
great, it had become so intense as to make him regard
another separation from her as the most deplorable of all
his misfortunes. It was therefore in a miserable state of
mind that he awaited Madeleine's return, each time that
she left home in a renewed hope of procuring him pupils.
For a considerable time he had refrained from asking her
the question too often followed by the reply of disappoint-
ment. It was enough for her to give him a silent embrace,
and that after she had thrown her shawl upon the bed,
she betook herself at once to her work, for him to form
the determination, of leaving ; and the sale of her watch, to
which she attached peculiar value, confirmed his resolu-
tion.

260 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

He had decided on the following week as the time for a
separation too afflicting, when one morning Madeleine re-
turned, her countenance indicating that her mind was
engrossed by some recent and unusual subject. Michel
Perrin, absorbed in his reflections, did not at first observe
her serious features. She was seated and working near
the window, whilst the pastor, with an open book lying
on his knees, was racking his mind as to how he could
obtain the means of sustaining life when he would quit
his sole remaining asylum.

"What a misfortune that Paris is so far off," said
Madeleine several times, without perceiving perhaps that
she was speaking aloud.

At the fourth or fifth repetition of this expression,
Michel raised his head — " Why so, my dear sister ?" said
he ; " wherefore do you wish Paris to be nearer ?"

"Ah! wherefore? It would take too much of your
time to listen to me, my dear brother, and you are reading
your breviary, I believe."

" Tell me fully the reasons for your wish," replied the
pastor, laying his book upon the table.

"It is because I have chanced to hear a matter so
astonishing, so surprising. It must be admitted that
some people are extremely lucky. "

"We cannot be considered so," said Michel, as he
breathed a heavy sigh.

" No j but your old class-fellow, Eugene Camus. Are
you aware that he went to Paris in quest of employment ?
Well, he has come back for a few days, after having
obtained a situation of two thousand francs a-year in the
consolidated taxes."

" A place of two thousand francs !" exclaimed the good
pastor. " You are right in saying that some are very

Michel Perrin . 261

lucky, Madeleine, for I would adduce this poor Eugene
Camus as the most thorough blockhead and dunce that
ever came from the college of Juilly."

" Well, he was dying of hunger at Paris for nearly
two years; but his good fortune brought it about that
another pupil of the Oratorians, Joseph Fouch6, of whom
you have frequently spoken to me "

" Oh ! Joseph Fouch6 should be a very different kind
of man. I am very glad to hear that he is still living. A
cunning fellow without any doubt, and always amongst
the first. He and I acted together, as they said in the
college; he helped me in my tasks, and in return I fought
for him; for I was a stout, healthy youth, and Joseph
Fouch6 was by no means strong."

" That has not hindered him from getting forward in
the world, I must say that for him. He is minister —
minister of, what shall 1 term it ? It is all the same ; it
appears that when one becomes minister he may do what-
ever he wishes, and as his greatest pleasure consists in
making the fortunes of his old class-fellows —

" If I was sure of that," interrupted the poor pastor,
with great emotion.

" I think he gave you a sufficient proof in placing
Camus as I have described," replied Madeleine ; " but
Camus, being in Paris, could see him, could speak to
him."

"And why should not I go to Paris, Madeleine?" ex-
claimed Michel Perrin, with an air of determination. " 1
shall go, sister ; I shall see Fouch6 ; I shall speak with
him ; since he has recognised Camus, who was not more
than two years at Juilly, I am certain that he will recog-
nise me also."

" Would you wish to undertake so long a journey,

262 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

Michel ?" said the kind sister, in great dismay; "no, no,
my dear brother."

"Hear. me, Madeleine/' replied the pastor, moving his
seat close to her, " whether I go to Paris or elsewhere, I
shall leave this place/'

" You are going away ! You wish to leave me ! "

" Your earnings are merely sufficient for your own sup-
port, my dear Madeleine. I do not wish any longer to
eat the half of them ; and all that you can say to induce
me to remain will only annoy me, without making me
abandon my resolution. Departing from this place, is it
not the better course for me to go to Paris than any other
place, inasmuch as you give me the hope of finding a
friend there ?"

"But Paris is so far," said Madeleine, bursting into
tears.

" Bah ! sixty or eighty leagues, what is that distance to a
good walker? What annoys me the most, is having to take
from you two or three crowns to support me on the road
and at the commencement of my sojourn. Can you make
out so much ?"

" I shall not let you depart for Paris with two or three
crowns, Michel, you may be assured of that," said poor
Madeleine, sobbing.

"That would be beyond my requirements, sister.
Something tells that once I arrive there, I shall find re-
sources, and that my first letter from Paris will bring you
good news."

The poor clergyman appeared so full of hope from the
success of his journey, that he finished by imparting it to
Madeleine. Without being fully consoled, she smiled
sometimes at the agreeable perspective which her brother
offered to her imagination. He perhaps did not indulge

Michel Per r in. 263

in very sanguine expectations, but having decided on being
no longer a burden to her, he felt that he could act as a
messenger or woodcutter when the good Madeleine was
not at hand to prevent him.

The preparations for such a journey not being of a
nature to delay it, in two days after that of which we have
been speaking, Madeleine carefully made up a bundle for
her beloved brother, which he was to carry on the end of a
stick, and gave him a sealed rouleau in which, she said,
there were forty francs ; and when the brother and sister
had embraced each other again and again, in tearful afflic-
tion, they separated.

The pastor accomplished ten leagues in his first day's
journey, impelled by the double anxiety for a speedy
arrival, and an avoidance of expense on the road. He
was far richer than he supposed ; for on the second day,
his purse being empty, although he had lived on bread
and cheese, he opened the rouleau, and his surprise
equalled his grateful affection when he found three pieces
of gold besides the forty francs. Feeling certain that
Madeleine had not been able to provide such a sum
without contracting debts, he resolved not to spend this
gold, and to send it back by the first opportunity ; but he
was not the less thankful for her sisterly love.

As soon as he had taken up his abode at the most
moderately furnished hotel of the capital, he did not lose a
moment in acquiring information on various subjects
which he considered conducive to his chances of obtaining
an industrial livelihood. From his landlord he learned that
Joseph Fouch6 was the minister of the general police, and
that all the ministers gave a public audience once in each
week, but that in order to obtain a special interview, it

264 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

was necessary to request it by letter. Accordingly he
penned the following note : —

"Citizen Minister,

" Michel Perrin implores his former class-fellow, Joseph Fooche\ to

receive him as soon as possible. He is lodging at the hotel du SoUU, rue

Mouffetard."

" Vale et me ama."

** Health and respect."

Michel supposed that prefixing a Latin adieu to
"Health and Respect/' would remind Joseph of the time
when, seated on the same bench, they were studying
Cicero. Almost an entire week elapsed without any
reply from the minister; and when Michel asked his
landlord if it ever happened that such notes were left
unanswered, the latter mentioned about fifty instances of
such neglect, almost without drawing breath.

His hopes were thus completely annihilated; and already
he was only thinking of earning his bread by the sweat of
his brow, when one evening the porter brought him a
letter. After breaking the seal with a trembling hand, he
read these words which seemed to him to be written in
letters of gold : —

"The minister of the general police will receive the citizen, Michel
Perrin, on Thursday the 24th inst., at one o'clock."

A person should, like our hero; have returned after
having, in a state of utter despondency, traversed the
streets of Paris, those streets so populous, but in which
he would seek in vain for even an individual inclined to
extend the hand of succour, to be able to form an idea of
his joyful hope that he had at last found a protector — a
powerful protector. Accordingly, he wrote, before retiring
to rest, to Madeleine, that he was to be with the minister
of the general police on the ensuing Thursday.

Michel Perrin. 265

On the appointed day, Michel Perrin was in the ante-
chamber of the minister before noon. Seated on the edge
of a bench, he endeavoured to banish the timidity natural
to those who have continuously lived apart from the
world, and which the sight of a mansion in which every-
thing indicated power and opulence tended to augment.
To embolden himself, he recurred to his college days, and
he was repeating for perhaps the hundredth time that
Joseph FouchS had been his class-fellow, when he was
called in.

Fouch6 was alone in his cabinet, seated before a desk
covered with papers. He had hardly raised his head and
fixed his small reddish eyes on the person entering, than
assuming a cheerful manner — tf There was no necessity,"
he said, " to announce you, for on my faith, I could not
have met you in the street without recognising you."*

At this friendly reception the poor pastor fully re-
sumed his courage.

" And you too, citizen minister/' he answered, "cordially
grasping the hand which Fouch6 extended to him, you
have so slightly changed that I believe myself recurring to
the time when old Vieil allotted us our tasks."

The figure of the minister assumed an appearance of
cheerfulness which was by no means habitual. Perhaps
the sight of an old college comrade served to relieve him
of some disagreeable reflections, perhaps it recalled to a
deputy of the convention the recollection of the time when
his life was simple and innocent.

" Sit down there," he said in a gay tone, " and tell me

* I was informed by M. Turpin that Fouche* frequently related the
incidents of this narrative which were subsequent to the interview, but
without naming his old class-fellow.

F. T. P.

266 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

how you have got on in this world, since we lost sight of
each other."

" I have lived for many years as happily as possible,"
replied Michel with a sigh ; " for shortly after my ordina-
tion, I obtained a living in the most agreeable village of
Burgundy."

" A poor position at present, that of a pastor must be!"
replied the minister, shaking his head.

" So poor in fact that after having been thrust oujt of
the door of my manse, ruined, persecuted, I have lived
during the last seven years on the benefactions of some
charitable, kind souls."

" And why the devil did you not try to get out of your
difficulties ? You should bestir yourself."

"Bestir, bestir! That is easy said. At first I was
obliged to hide myself in the farms, in the cottages,
because I was suspected, or they pretended so ; and I
would ask you of what should I be suspected ? But in
short, matters proceeded thus in the department of the
Cote-d'Or."

" And in many other departments," said FouchS ; €€ but
when you no longer feared for your head, you should have
thought of your purse."

" If thinking of it would have filled it, it would never
have become empty," replied Michel with a sorrowful
smile. " I believe more ideas pass through the mind of a
poor fellow who is trying to gain a crown, than passed
through the mind of Homer when writing the Iliad or
Odyssey."

"And that did not lead you to any decided course ?"

"To nothing but to come to Paris." Michel paused,
but not without directing on his college friend a look more
expressive than any words.

Michel Perrin. 267

Fouche smiled. " Did you know that I was minister ?"
said he.

« Certainly."

" And you have counted on me," replied Fouche, with
a kindness inspired by the thorough frankness pf this man.

"Counted on you so much/' replied the poor pastor,
"that after God you are my only hope. Employ me
where you wish, at whatever you choose, my destitution
has absorbed all other difficulties. I shall not recoil from
any description of employment. I am resolved to do any-
thing by which 1 can earn my subsistence/'

" To do anything ! " repeated Fouche, with some surprise,
" then you would not refuse to be employed in my depart-

ment."

«

Oh ! that is all that I ask !" cried Michel Perrin, his
eyes sparkling with joy.

u Undoubtedly you would acquire more money than your
parish ever produced."

" Is it possible ?"

" Certainly j men who resemble you are rather scarce."
And Fouche fixed his eyes on the becoming figure of the
pastor. " I know that you are very intelligent, and you
can express yourself clearly and explicitly."

" It is certainly advantageous to have received a classical
education," said Michel, with a modest air, although he
was in fact highly gratified by the compliment.

" Besides, I can put complete confidence in you, whilst
with the generality"

The door of the cabinet opened, and an usher informed
the minister that the first consul required his presence at
the Tuileries immediately.

Fouche" bundled a number of papers into a portfolio
with all the haste of a man who fears to lose a minute.

268 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

" As to me, as to me ?" said the poor pastor, who with
terror beheld him preparing to leave without any definite
promise.

" Hold," said the minister, writing hastily two lines on
a scrap of paper, " take this to Desmarest, chief of divi-
sion." He then hurried to his carriage and drove away.

The pastor had barely read these words, " Desmarest is
to employ Michel Perrin, and to pay him liberally" when in
the utmost delight, he proceeded to the office of the func-
tionary mentioned, and the order which he brought pro-
cured his immediate admission.

The citizen Desmarest, who appeared to him to assume
more importance than the minister himself, inasmuch as
he had not been his class-fellow, took the paper, read it,
and without offering him a seat, asked him if he was the
person named Michel Perrin.

"The same, citizen."

" You have just left the minister ? "

"Only this moment; for we had chatted together a full
half hour, as two good friends would do who had not met
for a considerable time."

" Be seated, Citizen Perrin. Is it the minister's intention
that you are to correspond directly with him or with me ?"

u It would seem that in referring me to you, citizen."

" As he has said nothing positive in this respect, it is
with me you will have to do."

" And when shall I commence ?"

" Without delay ; for the minister, in directing me to
pay you liberally, undoubtedly believed that there was need
of your ability and zeal."

" For my zeal I can fully answer," replied Michel. u I
hope that, with some little experience in the discharge of
actual duty, my ability shall equal it."

Michel Per tin. 269

" I have no doubt of it, no doubt whatever. You have
been sent to me by a man who is never mistaken in his
estimate of individual capability. I shall enter your name
on the list of those employed here. You shall have twenty
francs per day, and your payment shall commence from
this morning."

At these words, the poor pastor had great difficulty in
restraining an enthusiastic expression of gratitude for such
treatment. He said that he longed to render himself suffi-
ciently useful to justify the good opinion entertained of
him, and he asked the chief of the division to designate at
once the duty he was eager to commence.

" For to-day, I have no particular directions to give you;
but you will come to me in two or three days. Mean-
while, go through the city, traverse the promenades and
other public places, dine in the restaurateurs, especially in
the good restaurateurs."

" Ah ! as for the prime restaurateurs," said Michel,
smiling, " they shall not see me at all. I believe them to
be far too costly for my purse."

" I understand," replied Desmarest ; €t perhaps, you are
short of cash ; but I am going to pay you a fortnight in
advance. Will that suffice ?"

" For a long time, I assure you," answered the good
pastor, full of gratitude, " although I have really a scruple,
not having done any duty yet."

" Bah ! it is almost always the usage here ; the inten-
tions of the minister were certainly not to have you sent
to the mean eating-houses."

" What good angel has led me to these worthy people ? "
said Michel Perrin to himself; and whilst he was express-
ing reiterated thanks, the chief of division, having no time
to lose, wrote an order for the cashier, and handed it to

270 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

him, telling him to go and get his payment, and not to
return before the following Monday, unless he had some-
thing pressing to say.

If the first thought of the pastor, when he found him-
self the possessor of three hundred francs, tended towards
God, the second was for Madeleine, and he could not
dream of dining before he had written four pages to that
good sister, and made his letter the bearer of half his trea-
sure to Dijon. Then, with light heart and mind at ease,
he resolved to follow the advice of the Citizen Desmarest,
and to enjoy a little portion of the Parisian pleasures. " I
have four good days before me up to Monday," he said,
" and indeed I shall take some amusement."

In consequence, he betook himself to walk about the
city. Paris, which up to this time had appeared sad,
muddy, smoky, took all at once a cheerful appearance in
his eyes, for a man whose mind is at ease, sees matters
very differently from the aspect they present to an afflicted
person. He was not fatigued by visiting the beautiful
monuments, public buildings, bridges, gardens, and parks,
and he imagined himself transported to fairyland. The
Boulevards soon became his favorite promenade. Owing
to the variety of amusements which he found there, the
good pastor could pass his entire day without experiencing
one moment of ennui. The shops, equipages, puppet-
shows attracting and occupying his attention ; not until
night did he direct his steps to the Rue Mouffetard, de-
lighted with the sights of the day, and greatly pleased at
having been able to provide himself with two plentiful
meals, an indulgence which he had for a long time pre-
vious been unable to procure.

When Monday arrived, Michel Perrin presented himself
at the ministry of police, rather anxious to ascertain

Michel Perrin. 271

whether the employment about to be assigned to him might
not be beyond his capacity.

"Ah! 'tis you," said Desmarest, who appeared busily
searching for a paper which he could not find on his desk.
" Well ! where the devil have I thrust it ? What have
you done these four days past ?j"

"I have run about the city as if I was only twenty
years old," replied the pastor gaily.

" Something infernal must have happened it," said the
chief of division, opening a drawer that he had not tried
before. " All was quiet, I suppose."

" Ah ! perfectly quiet ! Every one I saw appeared, like
myself, to be bent on amusements/'

"The malcontents are not giving up their designs for all
that. (Could I have taken it home with me by mis-
take ?)"

" Yes ; the discontented people. That is what a poor
fellow told me yesterday in a chat which we had at the
Boulevard du Temple, and, in faith, I think he was one of
them himself."

The pastor stopped speaking for a few moments after
these words.

" Speak on ; go on," said Desmarest, who continued to
rummage his papers ; "lam listening to you whilst \ am
looking for this cursed letter. What sort of man was this
fellow ?"

" He is a former garde du corps of the Comte d'Artois."

u Is he young ? (This is enough to set one mad !)"

" About my age."

" (Ah ! I have found it at last.) Well, your former
garde du corps?"

" He told me his entire history ."

" What a confiding man ! Well ?"

272 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

" It was a simple, plain story, and indeed I told him
that I was a clergyman, that "

" You told him that you had been a clergyman ? " ex-
claimed Desmarest, laughing immoderately.

" Undoubtedly," replied Michel, rather disconcerted.

" All right, all right," said the chief of division in a tone
of approval. " What makes me laugh is, that if you had
told me the same thing when you first came here, you
would not have surprised me, and I should have believed
you at once : I observe in you so much of the air of a man
who has worn a priestly habit;"

" I have never been able to divest myself of that air,
although it has often proved almost fatal to me,19 said
Michel, with a sigh.

" At present, on the contrary, it is most favorable ; your
figure, your entire appearance inspires confidence."

The pastor bowed to express his thanks.

"And without doubt," continued Desmarest, ''the
good Royalist of the Boulevard is living on hope like all
his friends. He has some lively expectations of a happy
change of his circumstances."

" He has indeed, many."

" What do they depend on ? "

" Ah ! I do not know. The first time that he saw me
this man could not tell me all his affairs."

"That is very natural," said the chief of division. €€ Have
you arranged to see him again ? "

"We have settled to have a game of chess one of these
days, provided I may be free to return to the Cafe
Turc."

" And what prevents you ? "

" If the business which you will appoint for me to-day
requires my entire time."

Michel Perrin. 273

<t

I have no business to appoint for you," answered
Desmarest, " but as I am greatly burdened myself at pre-
sent, you may return to this matter or to any other until
Thursday ; come to me on that day."

Michel Perrin, not wishing to be troublesome, hastened
to salute his chief and to leave the office, but not without
being greatly surprised that they paid him so liberally for
doing nothing. Nevertheless, feeling certain that ulti-
mately he would be set to work, he laughed as he walked
on the quay. " Three more holidays," he said, " and in
faith we Ml enjoy them ! " And he resumed the life of a
Parisian cockney.*

The following Thursday, after having waited near two
hours in the antechamber with some men of very sinister
aspect, the pastor was admitted to citizen Desmarest, who
smiled graciously, saying —

" Well, what news ? "

" News ! " exclaimed Michel quite astonished.

" Yes ; when you come here undoubtedly you must have
something to tell me."

" In fact, citizen, as this is Thursday, I have come to
know if it is to-day that you desire to commence employ-
ing me."

" No, a hundred times no ! I have already told you to
take your own course, to go through Paris like a man who
thinks only of amusing himself and seeing everything."

" I do nothing else through the length of the day," said
the pastor laughing.

" Well, that is the minister's intention and mine ; have
you settled your game of chess ? Have you again met
your garde du corps ? "

" No."

* The word in the original is " badaud."

274 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

" The devil ! " said Desmarest, who at that time was
specially looking after the Royalists ; " but at least you
know his name ? "

" He never told it to me."

The chief of division shrugged his shoulders, smiling.

u You have let him see that you were too knowing for
him."

" Quite the contrary," replied Michel, " for I told him
at once that my ideas were very simple."

" I am beginning to think so too," muttered Desmarest;
then to terminate the interview, he bowed and added, " let
me see you on Monday/'

" Certainly," said the pastor to himself, as he took the
direction of the Palais-Royal with the intention of dining
at the cafe de Foi ; " certainly if this continues I can con-
gratulate myself on having obtained a most agreeable
position. As long as my business consists in waiting on
my chief twice in the week, I run no risk of losing my
employment through incapacity/'

When he entered on the following Monday, he had
waited a very long time until a number'of persons passed,
who stated that they were ordered to attend.

" The usher says that you have been waiting for six or
seven hours/' said the citizen Desmarest. " I had some
important business to transact, or you should have been
admitted sooner ; for I suppose that you have something
pressing to tell me."

" Nothing whatever, citizen/' quietly replied the pastor,
" I always come very early, that you may have me at hand,
if you wish to have me called."

" It is certain that you are admirably punctual, citizen
Perrin ; I said so yesterday to the minister."

Michel Perrin. 275

" I hope that in . this respect you shall never have to
reproach me/' replied the pastor^ bowing.

€t You pass your days in your chamber/' said Desmarest.

" Me ! I run like a mountaineer ; yesterday I did more
than two leagues on the flagways of Paris/'

" And you have seen nothing, heard nothing worthy of
your attention and mine ? "

" Ah ! " said the pastor laughing ; " it requires so little
to attract my attention and to enable me to pass the time,
that you would not wish to lose your time listening to
such trifles."

" Well ! be it so," said the citizen Desmarest, whose
astonishment had reached its acme ; " Good day, return
to-morrow, I request of you."

Michel Perrin had scarcely closed the door of the cabinet,
when the chief of division rang and obtained the immediate
attendance of one of the mouchards or detectives who were
in the antechamber.

"Follow the man in the brown great-coat who has just
left me," said he; " follow him throughout the day, and
come to report to me to-morrow morning."

Until late in the evening the poor pastor could not move
a foot or hand, or speak a word without a note being
made of it by the clever spy who had become his shadow ;
so that on the next day, when he received the order to
enter the cabinet of Desmarest, the latter knew better than
he did himself all that he had said or done the preceding
evening.

"Now/' thought the chief of division, " unless he is
deaf, blind, or dumb, he will not be silent this morning;"
and desiring him to be seated — " Come/' said he, " you
are about, 1 hope, to give me an account of yesterday's
business."

276 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

The good pastor was always somewhat surprised at the
interest which his chief seemed to take in his actions or
movements ; he replied, with an air of astonishment —

" My business of yesterday ! I passed my time, since
our last interview, in nearly the same manner as I passed
all the other days since our first meeting. In the morning
I walked to the Tuileries ; in the evening I strolled on the
Boulevards."

" I am not asking about your acts or movements/1
interrupted Desmarest, " but about what you were able to
observe."

" Oh ! nothing new," replied Michel Perrin ; " I am
beginning to know all these places as well as I do my
own pocket."

" This man cannot be of a sane mind," said Desmarest
to himself. Then taking patience —

"Do me the favor of telling me where you dined
yesterday, citizen Perrin."

" At a restaurateur's in the Palais-Royal/* replied the
pastor, whom this kind of interrogatory surprised to the
utmost.

" And afterwards ? "

" I went to take my coffee at the cafc du Caveau."

" And whilst you were taking your coffee, what passed
there ? I beg of you to tell me."

" Oh ! nothing that I know."

" What ! did you not remark three young fellows who
were talking just beside you, whose table was next to
yours ? "

€€ Stay, stay ; I recollect now that there were indeed,
just beside me, some gentlemen; I cannot say whether
three or four, but I know they had a bowl of punch."

" And they used most horrible language regarding the

Michel Perrin. 277

First Consul," added the chief of division with anger ;
"they even went so far as to threaten his life !"

" As for that, I am completely uninformed on the sub-
ject) inasmuch as, having observed two or three times that
these gentlemen lowered their voices when I turned my
head towards them, I moved off to a table farther from
them. I did not wish to have even the appearance of
listening to them, you understand/'

"By my faith, this is too bad !" exclaimed Desmarest.
" What occupation do you think that you have at the minis-
try of police ? "

" Ah ! " said the pastor, quickly, " that is exactly what
I have been desiring to know during the last fifteen
days."

" Eh, zounds ! you are a spy for the police ! "
" A mouchard ? "
" A mouchard ! "

The pastor bounded from his seat, his cheeks flushed,
his lips quivering. "Monsieur! — But it is not to you
that I have to speak/' said he, hastily rushing from the
apartment.

He ran to the door of the minister, and wished to have
it opened.

"The minister has gone out/' answered one of the
ushers, laughing in his face.

" I shall wait for him ; I shall wait the whole day if it
be necessary."

Wait for him, then, in the street," said the usher,
for you cannot remain here."

Be it so/' replied the poor pastor, resolved to place
himself before the gate of the hotel, but he had barely
crossed the courtyard, when Fouche, on his return, alighted
from his carriage.

u
«

278 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

Michel Pen-in did not hesitate to rush towards the
door.

" I beg of you to hear me for a minute, citizen minis-
ter," said he, in an altered tone.

Fouch6, although somewhat surprised at the sight of
this excited applicant, recognised Michel Perrin, and per*
mitted him to follow him.

" Well ! what now ? " asked he, when they were alone.
" Have you discovered some conspiracy, to be thus almost
beside yourself?"

" I have discovered that you have made a jest of the
friend of your youth," replied the good pastor, with a
courage derived from resentment. " Poor as I am, and
powerful as you are, I would never wish to have been sub-
jected to such treatment."

" May I die if I know what you are speaking about/'
replied Fouche, looking closely at him to ascertain if he
was in his right senses.

" Have you not issued your orders to your citizen Des-
marest ?"

" Undoubtedly ; he has even told me/' added Fouche,
laughing, "that you earned your money very badly."

"Ah! my deepest regret is having received that sum
of money, for unfortunately I am unable to return it : I
have sent the half to my poor sister Madeleine. I have
remaining at most only "

" Eh ! who says a word about your returning money,
you fool ? As long as I choose to employ you, what has
Desmarest to say about it ?"

" To employ me ! to employ me as a spy ! " cried
Michel, reddening with indignation.

"Methinks your scruples arise rather late, when you

Michel Perrin. 279

have been attached to the police for fifteen days/9 replied
Fouche\

" It was only on this day that I discovered it," cried the
poor pastor.

" What ! did you not know it ? Was it only to-day
you ascertained your function ?" said the minister, as,
struck by the comic tendency of the matter, he indulged
in great laughter.

" I should never have supposed it/' answered Michel
Perrin, proudly; "your man told me of it."

" It was a fortunate thing that he afforded you such an
interesting disclosure/' said Fouche, who vainly endea-
voured to resume his gravity; "but, in fact, Michel, did
you not come to me, stating that you were dying of hun-
ger, and that you were resolved to do anything to provide
the means of supporting life ? "

" Certainly ; I would have agreed to sweep your apart-
ments, to carry the fuel for your stoves/ to do everything
that might be done without forfeiting reputation and los-
ing self-respect." And, in saying these words, the poor
pastor raised his fine head, which fretting and privation
had already covered with snowy locks.

Honor exercises an influence even upon those who have
tampered with their own. Fouch6 discontinued his laugh-
ter, and approaching his class-fellow —

" There has been a misunderstanding, Michel," said he,
taking his hand; "let us forget this, and continue good
friends, especially/* he added, "as I have most delightful
news for you : it is that they are about to restore your
parish to you."

"Another hoax,"' said Michel Perrin, shrugging his
shoulders, with an air of incredulity.

280 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

" No ; on my faith. Public worship is re-established.
You know, or perhaps you do not know, that Cardinal
Gonsalvi was here for a considerable time, to arrange the
basis of a concordat with the Pope. This concordat is
signed ; the First Consul communicated it yesterday to his
Council of State."

" Ah ! if I again saw my good peasants ! If I returned
to my manse with Madeleine !" cried the good pastor, his
eyes sparkling with joy ; " but/' added he, " perhaps the
parish will be given to another }"

" I shall take special care that it shall not," replied
the minister. " Your parish was in Burgundy, I be-
lieve?"

" Just beside Dijon. I had it for a year."

" You shall receive news from me very soon ; but, in the
meantime, I advise you to return to your sister. Paris is
full of people too crafty for you ; and as you must live,"
continued Fouche, " take this rouleau of twenty-five
louis."

" No, no ; I shall take no more money," said the good
pastor, pushing aside the hand of the minister.

" You must take it. You do not imagine, I hope, that
this would be a recompense for the services you have ren-
dered," said Fouch£, laughing heartily. " It is given to
you by me for yourself, for your sister."

" Well, be it so," replied Michel, greatly softened. " I
cannot reject the gift of an honest man."

Fouche stifled a sigh. "Adieu," said he; "return to
Dijon."

The following year, Michel Perrin had resumed his
clerical functions ; and Madeleine again became the lady
and mistress of the manse. The peace, the comfort, the

Michel Perrin . 281

security for the future which they enjoyed, seemed to be
enhanced by the recollection of past sufferings.

If Madeleine, in whom there was a little vanity, re-
marked to her brother, when returning from church, that
all the peasants took off their hats —

" Yes, yes," the pastor answered in a low voice, and
with a smile, " The worthy fellows are not at
all aware that for fifteen dats i was a police
Spy/'

CHAPTER XXIII.

THE COUNT OR CONVIQT, WHICH ? — THE FAWN'S

ESCAPE.

I now proceed to the narration of the other case which I
received from M. Hubert, the facts of which are far more
extraordinary than any of the exuberant fictions presented
in the pages of romance.

In the early part of May, 1818, the Place Vendome was
occupied by detachments from the garrison of Paris, for
the purpose of effecting certain military requirements and
arrangements. They were under the command of the
Comte de Pontis de Sainte- Helen e, colonel of the 72nd
Legion. Amidst a brilliant cortege, he appeared, bearing
on his breast the insignia of officer of the Legion of
Honor, Chevalier de Saint-Louis, and also the Spanish
orders of Alcantara and Saint- Wladimir. One of the
spectators, meanly attired, and of rather sinister appear-
ance, attempted to approach the distinguished officer, but
he was unceremoniously repelled by those to whom the
duty of keeping the ground had been assigned. He
found no difficulty, however, in ascertaining that the resi-
dence of the Comte was in the Rue Basse-Saint-Denis ;
and when the military duties of the day had been fulfilled,
and the gallant nobleman returned to his house, he was
apprised that a stranger was waiting in the antechamber

The Count or Convict : Which ? 283

on some affairs which he declared to be of paramount im-
portance. The Count proceeded to the apartment, and
was there accosted in rather familiar terms.

st You must remember me ; I am Darios, your former
comrade of the chain. I bear you no illwill, and do not
wish to take any advantage of you, but you are rich and I
am miserably destitute. Give me your succour, relieve
my necessities, and you may depend on my prudence and
gratitude."

The Comte de Pontis de Sainte-Helene affected to
treat this intruder as an impostor or madman. He
summoned his attendants, and had Darios at once expelled
from the premises. The latter, in the highest state of
exasperation at such treatment, betook himself to the
office of the Minister of the Interior, and having eventually
succeeded in obtaining an audience of the Due Decazes,
declared to the minister that the Comte de Pontis de
Sainte-Helene was no other than Pierre Coignard, who,
on the 1 8th October, 1800, had been condemned by the
criminal tribunal of the department of the Seine to four-
teen years of hard labor, for various robberies committed
by nocturnal housebreaking, and also by means of false
keys. That in about five years he had managed to elude
the vigilance of the prison authorities of Toulon, and had
escaped from the Bagne. The Due Decazes was com-
pletely amazed at this statement, and inasmuch as it was
made by one who acknowledged himself to be a convicted
criminal, he at first considered it to be false and malicious.
Other reasons, of a political nature, made him determine
to avoid any personal participation in an inquiry resulting
from such averments; and as the imputations were directed
against a person in a high military position, he referred
the matter to General Despinoy, who commanded the

284 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

division of the army to which the accused belonged. The
co-operation of the police was obtained, and the cele-
brated Vidocq was brought into requisition. It was fully
ascertained that Coignard, after escaping from Toulon,
had made his way to Catalonia, in Spain, where he
formed an intimate acquaintance with a young female,
named Maria Rosa. She constituted the entire domestic
establishment of the veritable Comte de Pontis de Sainte-
Helene, who was a French emigrant, and of an ancient
family belonging to Soissons. He had been in the
Spanish service, and had distinguished himself in South
America. Having returned to Europe in broken health,
he was reduced to great poverty by the inability of the
Spanish government to meet the claims of their depen-
dants, or even to make any effectual resistance against the
French invasion, which was then in very active progress.
Death relieved him from his privations, and Coignard
induced Maria Rosa to become his accomplice in assuming
the designation of the deceased nobleman. The family
papers and pedigree were made available by the spurious
Comte and Comtesse, and Coignard proceeded to join the
irregular troops or guerilla bands, which were under the
orders of Mina, to whom he introduced hinaself as a
French nobleman, exiled as a legitimist, and anxious to
combat to the utmost the upstart who had usurped the
throne of his country. He either received, or subsequently
nretended that he received, the orders of Alcantara and
Saint- Wladimir during his time of service under Mina, but
he did not remain long in the Spanish ranks, and alleged
that ill health rendered his retirement unavoidable. In a
short time, however, he presented himself to Soult, and
implored to be received into the army of his native country.
He continued in a military capacity, fortunate in escaping

The Count or Convict : Which ? 285

the casualties of war, and in gradually attaining higher
rank, until the departure of Napoleon for Elba, and then,
free from all suspicions of his false pretensions, he pro-
fessed to belong to the ancienne noblesse, and t* regard
the restoration of the Bourbon dynasty as the vindication
of a right and the realization of a blessing. When
Napoleon returned, Louis the Eighteenth betook himself
to Ghent, and the Comte de Pontis de Sainte-Helene con-
ciliated his confidence and esteem by becoming a partici-
pator of his short exile. He was basking in courtly favor,
when his former " comrade of the chain " recognised him
in the Place Vendome, and when his prudence, nay, even
his instinctive caution so completely deserted him that
he affected to treat a statement which he knew to be per-
fectly true, as the threats of an impostor or the ravings of
a lunatic. It is highly probable that a small pension, paid
weekly or monthly, to Darios would have ensured his
silence.

But in reference to this most extraordinary culprit, it
remains to be mentioned that the police discovered and
proved before the Cour d9 assises de la Seine, on the 10th
July, 1819, that Coignard, even after he had attained to
rank and opulence, was in communication with several of
the most accomplished robbers of Paris, and that he aided
them by using the opportunities derived from his intimacy
with persons of wealth and proprietors of costly mansions,
to ascertain where their money and plate were kept, and
at what time the property might be pillaged with the least
risk of interruption or detection. When he found the
proofs of his past and of his continued delinquencies
accumulated beyond any possibility of resisting an adverse
judgment, he attempted to escape, and on being arrested,
he discharged several pistol shots at the police officers, by

286 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

which two of them were dangerously wounded and per-
manently disabled. Amongst the associates of his aristo-
cratic career, there was far less indignation expressed at his
robberies or dishonest proclivities, than at his audacious
assumption of exalted rank, and his intrusion amongst a
class, the members of which would evince greater lenity to
the opening of a banker's coffers by means of false keys,
than to the attainment of admission to a courtly circle by
a pretended title of nobility. Conclusive evidence having
been adduced of the identity of Coignard as an escaped
convict, and also of his subsequent complicity in several
criminal transactions, he was remitted to Toulon, there to
be imprisoned for life and kept to hard labor. When he
left the Bicetre, on the 24th July, 1819, on the galley
chain, an enormous crowd assembled to witness his
departure, and his demeanour was remarked as indicating
neither despondency nor contrition. In the towns through
which he passed, he excited the utmost curiosity. The
false Comtesse, Maria Rosa, proceeded to Toulon, and
subsisting on whatever she had been able to save from
the wreck of her previous fortunes, she continued firmly
attached to the wretched Coignard. She visited him
whenever permitted, and afforded him every attention that
the rules of the prison allowed. She died in 1829, anc* ne
survived her only until the succeeding spring.

I think that in laying before my readers the details of
this romantic reality, I have given to them an instance of
fact being far more extraordinary than fiction. The ma-
terials in the narrative last related are not suitable for being
woven into one piece in the loom of fiction. Those who
would make a Count the hero or principal character of an
imaginative production, would shrink from choosing him
amongst the galley slaves of Toulon. Those who would

The Count or Convict : Which ? 287

make a convict a prominent actor in any ideal drama,
would consider it too ridiculous to dignify him with a title
immediately after his escape from penal servitude.

As to the memoirs derived from the archives of the
Police of Paris, a person disposed to make selections would
have two difficulties to encounter; namely, where to com-
mence and where to conclude his extracts. I may mention
that there are some which certainly should not be presented
for public perusal, and which I would totally abstain from
translating ; for although I might have no intention of
publishing them, I would not leave their details in manu-
script. They might vitiate, but could not improve. I
could not, in these pages, insert all that I consider amusing
or instructive, although perfectly unobjectionable, without
extending this publication to an unusual amplitude, and
causing the result of my Parisian visit, comparatively to
monopolise it. I have translated every incident in the
memoirs which I felt confident of being free from impro-
priety, and perhaps, at a future period, I shall venture to
submit them to public consideration. At present I shall
content myself by submitting two narratives to my readers,
and then, with a few remarks on some of the novels of
Alexandre Dumas, and with one or two of my personal
recollections, I shall leave Paris for Dublin, until an inter-
val of ten years has elapsed, when my acquaintance with the
French capital shall be renewed as satisfactorily, I hope, to
my readers as it was to myself.

THE FAWN'S ESCAPE.

The tale on which I am entering is designated in the
memoirs, "The Fawn's Escape" and the applicability of
that title will appear when the reader arrives at the Deer
Park, (Parc-aux-Cerfs.) The preliminary observations

288 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

were certainly not written on any previous edition to that
of 1838, when the Orleans branch of the Bourbon family
was in the ascendency.

Philippe Auguste de Sainte-Foix, chevalier d'Arc, was
the grandson of Louis the Fourteenth. The career of this
person, during the succeeding reign, powerfully illustrates
the fearful state into which society had merged, and
proves that when the door is opened for the entry of one
vice, several others are likely to gain admission. It is
worthy of notice that the profligacy of the higher classes
during the reign of the depraved Louis the Fifteenth, was
fully equal to the ferocity that overthrew the throne of his
successor, and, on the ruins of all civil and religious insti
tutions, established a reign of Terror. The people wit-
nessed all the precepts of divine or moral authority not
only violated, but openly ridiculed; and we cannot feel
much surprise at the utter disregard of all the claims put
forward by the higher classes, when we recollect that they
had long ceased to possess the slightest self-respect. The
robes of nobility were not torn to rags by the wild and
furious passions of a fierce democracy, until long after
they had been trailed in the mire by their aristocratic
owners. But we are not proceeding to write political
considerations on the causes or effects of revolutions ; we
only invite attention to the peculiar state of society at the
period to which our tale refers, and leaving the reader to
reflect for himself upon its consequences. We return to the
chevalier d'Arc.

An illustrious though illegitimate origin might be ex-
pected to elevate his mind, render him susceptible of high
feelings, and capable of noble deeds ; but in him it only
inspired a ridiculous vanity and unmeasured impudence.
Perverted in his youth by the vicious philosophy of the

The Fawn's Escape. 289

time, he followed its abominable maxims to the letter, and
speedily compelled all who had any respect for themselves,
to repulse his approaches and repudiate his intimacy. He
consequently soon became admissible only to those haunts
which were open to any person who had a title to disgrace
and a sword to carry.

On reaching manhood, he entered into possession of an
estate in the vicinity of St. Cloud, which had been be-
queathed to him by his father, the Comte de Toulouse,
one of the sons of Madame de Montespan. Being of a
handsome person, and of insinuating though frivolous
manners, he attracted the notice of a young widow, who
had been, soon after her marriage, bereaved of a very old
and very wealthy husband, for whose death she was pre-
vented from becoming utterly inconsolable by the acquisi-
tion of a very ample fortune. The chevalier perceived that
to the fair widow he was not an indifferent object, and,
without the slightest intention of ultimate matrimony, he
professed the most boundless love. He was warmly re-
ceived, vows were interchanged, and to encourage his
advances; the widow occasionally spoke of her extensive
possessions in different parts of the kingdom; but far
from insinuating that she wished to reserve any portion
of her property from her future husband, she generally
managed to introduce a favorite maxim — "That between
two united hearts there should be a community of in-
terests."

The chevalier dined at the widow's mansion ; the enter-
tainment was superb, and the table was covered with
plate, with the exception of the soups, which were served
in porcelain. Affecting the familiarity of a lover, the
chevalier insisted that his fair hostess should permit him
to supply this deficiency, and on the following day two

u

290 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

splendid soup tureens were sent to Madame, with a billet
doux, to which the dear, fond creature attached more value
than to the handsome present it accompanied.

In about a fortnight after, the chevalier took an oppor-
tunity of mentioning that he was unpleasantly circum-
stanced through the oversight of his house steward, who
had neglected to have his plate brought from a chateau
in Picardy, where he had passed the previous autumn.
" Dear friend/' he added, " I am to entertain to-morrow
the Comte Ecouy and the Due de Rohan, and owing to
this fatality I find myself unable to make an appearance
even respectable. Will you lend me whatever you can
spare, and thus save my credit with my guests ?"

Charmed at an opportunity of obliging her well-beloved,
the widow reserved not even a spoon, all was sent with
alacrity ; but in two days she received a letter enclosing the
duplicates of her plate, and containing the assurance, that
he should never have made it available for his necessities
but for the recollection of her own sentiment, "That
between two united hearts there should be a communitv
of interests."

Impoverished by his profligacy, he petitioned the King,
Louis the Fifteenth recollected him as a playmate of his
youth, and sent him a draft on the treasurer of his house-
hold for eight thousand livres. As the amount was speci-
fied in figures, the chevalier added a cipher, which aug-
mented the royal generosity to an unreasonable amount.
The King was urged to compel the restitution of the sum
thus obtained, and his majesty replied, " In my situation I
cannot pay too dearly for a useful lesson. It will teach
me, for the future, to economise less the letters of the
alpha bet."

Afterwards the Chevalier d* Arc became one of the most

The Fawn's Escape. 291

indefatigable purveyors for the Parc-aux-Cerfs ; and in
reference to this part of his life, we have to notice the
following, which is romantic in the extreme, and is also
free from any details of an immoral tendency, rather a rare
feature in any adventure connected with the Parc-aux-
Cerfs.

The chevalier being admitted, by reason of the reputa-
tion of his father and his consanguinity to the Due de
Penthievre, to an intimacy with some respectable gentle-
men of Querci sojourning at Paris, whither they had come
to solicit official employment, or seek royal favor, was
not long in remarking the exquisite beauty of the only

daughter of one of them. Mademoiselle de Pal * was

beloved by a young officer of musketeers, of honorable
family and high character, every way worthy of her hand,
and they deferred the marriage only until the realization
of their hopes from courtly favor would leave the family in
more easy circumstances.

But a demon entered their residence when they admitted
the Chevalier d'Arc. He applied himself to stimulate the

soul of the Comte de Pal , father of Mademoiselle

Helene, with suggestions of guilty ambition, until the
foolish but obstinate old man determined to effect the
admission of his daughter into the Parc-aux-Cerfs. But
how to procure the concurrence of the two brothers of the
old gentleman, one Lieutenant-Colonel the Baron de

M , the other an abbe, and grand vicar of the Bishop of

Tulle. These gentlemen, high in their sense of honor,
and proud in their family recollections, would scorn to
see fortune coming through so vile an avenue. How to

* This abbreviation, strictly copied from the memoirs, appears to be in-
tended to conceal the complete designation of the young lady and her
family.

292 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

reconcile a virtuous girl to her own degradation. Above
all, how to dispose of her lover.

To make an open attack was impossible. Meanwhile,
the old dotard of a count, infatuated by the suggestions
which the Chevalier d'Arc continually whispered, fancied
himself a minister of state, destined to save France from
every peril by the guidance of his sage advice ; moreover,
he saw in his brother the baron, a marshal of France, and
in his younger brother, an archbishop or cardinal. This
picture enchanted him, and instead of kicking his infamous
tempter out of doors, he listened to no other counsel but his.
The virtue of his daughter became a chimera and a trifle
compared with the advantages which must result to the
entire community from an influence acquired over the
yielding mind of a libertine monarch.

The chevalier, on his part, had committed himself in the
affair beyond retreat. The King had heard something of
it. His valet, Lebel, and the portly lady, the directress of
the Parc-aux-Cerfs, were impatiently awaiting the appear-
ance of this eighth wonder of the world. They worried the
intermeddling chevalier, and he soon concluded that the
palladium of the royal protection should be secured as soon
as possible, and by all possible means. He and the father
of the young lady had recourse to stratagem. They lived
in Paris in the Rue des Moulins. One morning, under
the pretext of preferring a request to M. de Choiseul,
lately installed minister, the Comte de Pal > his daugh-
ter, and the Chevalier d'Arc proceeded to Versailles. On
their arrival, they enquired the hour at which the minister
received public applicants, and finding that there was
some time to spare, the chevalier proposed a promenade
through the town. The suggestion was approved by the
father, and the daughter acquiesced.

The Fawn's Escape. 293

They take their way through a lonely lane. The long
wall, by which it is bounded on one side, is pierced by a
door which happens to be open, and discloses a view of a
beautiful garden. They ask of a domestic who is passing
if they can be permitted to walk in this delightful pfa.ce.
The reply is affirmative, and they enter ; and at the end of
a shady avenue, they meet a lady.

" Oh ! it is the Marchioness d'Allinvilliers."

"Oh! the much-esteemed Chevalier d'Arc! — what a
pleasure ! "

" I am enchanted, madame, at this instance of good
fortune in meeting you. I presume to present to you the
Comte de Pal , my most intimate friend, and Made-
moiselle, his daughter."

High compliments are reciprocated. The Marchioness,
so luckily encountered, assumes the guidance of the party.
They admire the beauty and magnificence of the place.
At last they arrive at a kiosque, erected in the purest
oriental style, and there they find a repast of the choicest
pastry, fruits, liqueurs, wines, and iced water. Mademoi-
selle Helene de Pal is pressed to eat and drink. She

complies ; and after having taken refreshment, a sudden
stupor overcomes her, and she yields to a somnolency
totally irresistible.

On awaking, she is astonished to find herself in a
sumptuous bed. She is informed of all that has passed
by the Marchioness d'Allinvilliers, whom she recognizes,
and by whom she is affectionately embraced. A letter is
placed in her hands from her father, in which she is in-
formed that he has not been able to refuse to so kind a
lady, the care of his daughter during the period of his stay
in the capital. He will see her at every visit to Versailles,
and Mademoiselle de Pal will be more comfortably

294 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

and respectably circumstanced than she could be in fur-
nished lodgings with him.

This had a great semblance of truth; and although
certain precautions and restraints appeared extraordinary,
the young lady was so perfectly innocent as to entertain
no suspicion of the infamous nature of the mansion in
which she was placed. She had not acquired a knowledge
of the character of the Chevalier d'Arc, which was very
different from that of provincial gentlemen, and she had
not the most remote idea of the functions which he exer-
cised at court. In the evening, she was induced to enter
the saloon. There, to her utter surprise, she recognized
the King, in a gentleman who stood with his back to the
chimney.

A conversation ensued, in which his Majesty used much
gallant and polite language, and in which he stated that
he came there without any ceremony, as the Marchioness
was his foster-sister. On his retiring, they surrounded
the young lady, and exclaimed that she should be proud of
the distinguished attentions of the King. In short, every
allurement which can be addressed to vanity was tried on
one whose mind was guided by sentiments of a higher
nature. Helene, far from acquiescing in the views of the
depraved creatures, of both sexes, with whom she was
associated, regarded all their suggestions with undisguised
repugnance. The same evening, a royal page brought
her a porcelain vase, containing a bouquet of natural
flowers, upon which appeared a butterfly formed of spark-
ling gems. Upon the handles were fastened two diamond
ornaments, shaped like pears, of very large dimensions
and surpassing brilliancy. These were accompanied by
necklaces composed of precious stones, remarkable for
splendor, purity, and magnitude.

The Fawris Escape. 295

Ecstasy seemed to pervade the circle. Mademoiselle de
Pal , in a firm and deliberate tone, apprised the Mar-
chioness, that, at an early hoar on the succeeding day,
she wished to return to her paternal home. Her uncle,
the abbe, would undertake to have the present returned.
There was an outcry —

" You darling, to quit me ! Ah ! you wicked one ! what
ingratitude ! Moreover, how could I expose you, lonely
and unprotected ? I would not entrust you to anyone ;
my responsibility is pledged. You will remain until the
next visit of your father, the Comte."

Constrained to yield to this specious resistance, Made-
moiselle de Pal retired to her chamber, and there

wrote to her father an account of all that had passed, and
urged the imperative necessity of immediately flying from
the gallantry of the King. The poor child comforted her-
self in the expectation of a prompt succour from her father.
What would have been her feelings if she had witnessed
the transports of joy in which the old gentleman indulged
at the apparent certainty of accomplishing his designs ?
It was a complete delirium ! Repeatedly he embraced the
Chevalier d'Arc, whose pockets he replenished with money.
Then taking his pen, he hastened to reply that it appeared
premature to impute evil designs to any person; that the
King could have no bad intentions. Finally, they owed
his Majesty so much love and respect, that all other feel-
ings should be absorbed in reference to him.

The conclusion of this letter plunged the virtuous girl
in despair. After two more days, she received a second
visit from the King, and was offered homage of a more
marked character — the most costly stuffs, and various
other articles of such enormous value as could not be
authorized by simple gallantry or innocent admiration.

296 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

Mademoiselle de Pal , distracted, overwhelmed, saw

herself abandoned by those on whom the very feelings of
nature should have imposed the duty of protecting her in-
nocence. She did not accuse her father directly, but her
mind was beset with frightful suspicions.

One morning, at an early hour, the Marchioness not
having left her bed-chamber, a girl, who filled some very
subordinate station in the establishment, came into the
apartment of Mademoiselle, in the absence of ihzfemme-
de-chambre who had been assigned to her. This damsel,
entering cautiously, informed Helene that a handsome lad,
in her father's livery, had brought a letter which he would
deliver only to herself in person.

Too much tormented not to distinguish any favorable
circumstance in her unhappy situation — knowing, more-
over, that her father had not permitted his two old servants
to bring his family livery to Paris — she was only too ready
to take advantage of the opportunity afforded by the early
hour ; consequently, she consented to receive the envoy.

An exclamation of surprise and delight escaped her.
It was her lover, the Vicomte de Benavent Rhodes, a
gentleman of very high extraction, quite ready to believe
that his fathers constituted a younger and distant branch
of the sovereign counts of Rhodes. He was a black
musketeer, young, brave, and thoroughly daring. The

Comte de Pal , a man without prudence or reserve,

had permitted his brother to discover his secret, and even
to become acquainted with the letter of his daughter.
This worthy ecclesiastic, indignant at the projects of his
brother, lost not a moment before informing the person
most interested in defeating the base plots of the royal
seraglio. The family was distracted, but the circum-
stances required delicate management. They had to deal

The Fawn's Escape. 297

with the difficulty of struggling against the proceedings of
an obstinate old man, who found historic sanctions for
his conduct in the innumerable pollutions of the Court.
The great evil consisted in the abuse of an acknowledged
power, the authority of a parent. Besides, where were
they to find Helene ? He kept the secret as soon as he
found his family in revolt against his projects. The em-
barrassment was great, but the Vicomte de Benavent,
better informed than the respectable abbe, at once sur-
mised all that passed ; how, owing to the villainy of the
Chevalier d'Arc, the fair Helene was already in the infa-
mous precincts of the Parc-aux-Cerfs. He wished to go
himself, and warn his mistress of the dangers by which
she was surrounded.

Certain that he could never penetrate into this place if
he went in his ordinary attire, for habitual watchfulness
interdicted the entry of the gardes-du~corps, the qfficiers-
aux-gardes, and the musketeers, grey or black, as persons
of suspicious reputation amongst those who had the guar-
dianship of youth and beauty, the lover flattered himself
that he would deceive the " Argus " by assuming a livery,
and presenting himself at an early hour.

He was not wrong in his conjectures; and by choosing
the early hour he gained the assistance of the poor fe-
male drudge who introduced him. Once in presence of

Mademoiselle de Pal , he kissed her hand, and placed

in it a letter from the abbe in the following terms : —

" My dearest Niece,

" 1 write to you in all the affliction of a broken heart. Your poor
father has been scandalously led astray by a knave, a swindler, a man
without an honorable idea, and destitute of faith and morals. Dear
niece, are you aware that you are now in the Parc-aux-Cerfs? Who
detains you there ? The abominable directress of that polluted mansion.
Your ruin is resolved on. I trust that God will not abandon you, and

298 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

that this affair may terminate without crime or scandal. Consult with the
Vicomte (M. de Benavent. ) He is regarded by me as my future nephew.
If your plans should not succeed, then God will guide the steps of one of
His ministers, and should I find it necessary to approach the King, I shall
not recoil from my duty. Adieu, let us invoke the Virgin, the saints,
your holy patroness, and above all, the Three Persons of the all-powerful
and all-merciful Trinity. "

The musketeer at once arranged with the young lady
that precisely at midnight she should descend from her
chamber, and he furnished her, for that purpose, with a
silken ladder wrapped in a handkerchief. She was to
make for a part of the wall over which a white plume
would be displayed, and having arrived there, she was to
clap her hands three times, and her liberators would
appear.

These matters having been arranged, prudence required
the lovers to separate ; but the Vicomte, who at first had
been more timid than the object of his affection, pro-
tracted his adieu until Mademoiselle Justine, an artful spy
over the youthful inmates, arrived. At sight of her, the
musketeer took his leave in the style of a valet. This
was in vain ; she was not to be deceived, and her prac-
tised eye detected the man of quality. The provincial
livery could not conceal true grace and courtly bearing
beneath its gaudy laces. At once she proceeded to make
her report to Madame. Alarm spread through the camp,
and they took immediate measures to defeat the plans of
the young couple. Helene passed the rest of the day
almost alone. Madame having sought admission, a vio-
lent headache was alleged as a justification for declining
an interview. She soon returned, and being admitted by
Justine, she openly divulged the purposes which she enter-
tained. Helene gave full vent to her scorn and unqualified
disdain. This was indiscreet, but the error arose not more

The Fawris Escape. 299

from her youthful inexperience than from the noble sin-
cerity and purity of her mind. Flattery was tried, and
she was addressed in terms of the highest exaggeration as
to the brilliant position to which the royal favor would
necessarily exalt her. This produced a declaration from
her that love unsanctioned bv marriage commenced with
infamy and terminated in perdition. This language ex-
cited a perfect tempest of invective, her scruples \*ere
derided, and to the most galling sneers were added direct
threats of ruin to all her kindred, and also to the family
of her lover.

Tears were her reply, but her determination was un-
changed. She expressed a wish to retire early. In this
she was indulged ; and as midnight sounded she attached
the silken cord to the window, and abandoning herself to
Providence, she rapidly descended. Having reached the
ground in safety, she knelt and offered her thanks to
Heaven for this successful commencement. Then, ap-
proaching the exterior wall, she perceived the white plume
raised above it upon a pole. She clapped her hands, and
immediately heard all the indications of a violent contest.
Murmurs, imprecations, the clash of weapons, and several
pistol shots were almost simultaneous. The uproar in-
creased ; a struggle, hand to hand, seemed to terminate
in the departure of the combatants, and although the
signal continued displayed, profound silence ensued.

The poor girl was overwhelmed with terror, her conjec-
tures were tortures thoroughly agonizing ; but just as the
external tumult ceased, Madame issued from the mansion,
attended by six male servants bearing torches.

"Indeed, Mademoiselle/* said this debased woman, "you
cannot expect us to indulge your wishes for midnight
promenades in an inclement season. The air is sharp,

300 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

and your health is delicate. Please to re-enter the man-
sion. The physician will hold us responsible for the
results of such indiscretion ; and our tenderness for you
compels us to guard against your caprices. Until you
become more reasonable, you must occupy an apartment
from which you shall not find it so easy to issue."

Mademoiselle de Pal did not condescend to reply

to this cool impertinence, but she understood that in such
a contest her adversaries were unscrupulous as to the
means they employed. Alone, almost lifeless with terror,
and abandoned by her father, she apprehended the most
sinister designs, and her undisguised disgust excited an
implacable hostility amongst those to whom the superiority
of virtue was odious. "In fact/' murmured the mistress
of the mansion, "we are far more foolish than she is
herself, to labour for her exaltation ; the insulting creature
will only detest us the more for our exertions."

They placed her on the ground floor, and assigned her
some apartments furnished in the most luxurious manner ;
but the windows were carefully fitted with iron bars. When
Justine had a second time undressed her mistress, Madame
betook herself to rest.

Mademoiselle de Pal spent the night in tears, for

she understood too well what had occurred. Men pre-
viously posted had been waiting for her lover. Perhaps
he had paid, even with his life, for his generous interven-
tion. She implored God to protect the young musketeer,
and to avert the crushing resentment of the King.

In the morning she requested an audience of Madame,
which was immediately granted, and she earnestly implored
of her not to report what had passed to his Majesty. " I
know not what I might do on another occasion/' was the
reply, " but in the present case I have only to express my

The Fawn's Escape. 301

regret that the King is already fully informed upon the
subject."

" It will be upon me then," promptly observed Helene,
" that his wrath must fall, since my generous defender is
dead."

" Dead ! the Vicomte de Benavent-Rhod6s ! You are
pleased to think so," remarked this depraved woman, in a
bantering tone. " Certainly it is not owing to him and
his associates that some of the King's servants did not
perish. Happily, there has been more noise than actual
injury; but this gentleman and four other musketeers are
in the custody of the grand -prevot, and they must answer
to justice for an armed attack, at midnight, on a royal
residence. The laws of France attach capital punishment
to such an outrage/'

Mademoiselle de Pal uttered a piercing shriek, and

fell into violent convulsions, which excited great alarm in
the mind of Madame, lest the death, or even the severe
indisposition, of the young beauty, should be imputed to her
indiscretion. She sought to assuage her sufferings, and
when restoratives had produced relief, strongly advised her
to apply to his Majesty, who was of a merciful disposition,
and would not refuse pardon to the musketeers at her in-
tercession.

The dread of the price which would be demanded for
this favor contributed to diminish the pleasure which the
hope of clemency excited. Nevertheless she resolved to
meet the peril, trusting to overcome it, and to conquer
culpable intentions by purity of heart and the innate power
of virtue. When she ascertained that Louis XV. had
arrived, she proceeded to the saloon. The conversation
was gay, brilliant, and varied. Mademoiselle displayed
the intrepidity which is so frequently the attendant of

302 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

innocence, and although her face was suffused with blushes,
her voice was distinct and unfaltering, as she gracefully
and respectfully besought the King to pardon the five
prisoners. Louis reverted to his feelings towards herself,
and observed that it lay in her power to induce him to in-
terfere in a matter which involved a direct offence against
his personal safety and his rights. He indulged in the
chivalrous levity which has so often characterised the
Bourbons, remarking that he was her slave, but that even
a slave should not be exasperated. Finally, he gave her
distinctly to understand that the fate of the prisoners
depended on her compliance.

She demanded four days' interval, which the king acceded
to, adding that she could not follow a better example than
that of Jephtha's daughter.

Two days had elapsed, the king was going to mass,
when a priest placed himself in front of the cortege.

"Monsieur PAbbeY' said the Due de Richelieu, "stand
aside, you impede his Majesty's passage."

" Sire," exclaimed the priest, " Sire !" and he raised his
voice, notwithstanding the repeated admonitions of the
Due de Richelieu that silence should be observed, and that
the King was not to be accosted then or there.

" Sire, in the name of God, and appealing to the pious
traditions of your race, I implore an audience. Reflect
that a moment's delay may endanger your hopes of Para-
dise."

The firmness and dignified demeanor of the ecclesiastic
produced an extraordinary effect upon his Majesty. He
stopped, reflected an instant, and then replied —

" Be it so, Monsieur; after mass you may come to my
closet, I shall hear you there."

This strange incident perplexed the court. The Comte

The Fawn's Escape. 303

and the Baron de Pal were well known amongst the

courtiers; but their brother, pious and unpresuming, passed
unnoticed in a place where no one appeared important un-
less by the favor they received, or by the influence they
possessed. Impelled by curiosity, a crowd surrounded the
abbe, and were lost in various conjectures. Mass being
over, the door of the royal closet opened, and the captain
of the guard advanced and enquired for the abbe to whom
the King had promised an audience. The abbe presented
himself and was admitted. He addressed the King in
terms of profound respect, but protested against the de-
tention of his niece, and also pleaded the cause of the
young musketeer and his companions. In speaking of
the young lady and her lover, his language was pathetic
and persuasive; but he did not hesitate to remind the mon-
arch of the enormity of deliberate, premeditated sin, and
of the awful consequences before that tribunal of eternal
justice where monarchs would be judged without reference
to earthly power, save as to how far they had abused it.
He was urging his arguments, when the official entered and
presented a letter which the King immediately perused,
and raised his eyes and hands in great perturbation. " Ah !
Monsieur l'Abbe," he exclaimed, "do not proceed any
further. The danger is imminent. Go, invested with
plenary authority, at once to the Parc-aux-Cerfs."
" Me, sire I"
"Yes, you; I want not your indignant looks. Lose

not a moment, run, demand Mademoiselle de Pal "

My niece !"

The same ; prevent the accomplishment of her fatal
resolution. Let her know that I renounce — but no, she
is destroyed; it is all over. Take and read that. My
God, how obstinate and self-willed these little girls are 1"

304 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

The abb6, astonished at this event, hastily perused the
letter.

" Sire," wrote the young lady, " I am apprised that it is by my dishonor
the life of the Vicomte de Benavent can be saved. I prefer saving his life by
the sacrifice of mine own. If you do not wish to be answerable for my fate
before an Almighty judge, do not punish a lover whom you have rendered
sufficiently miserable already by my untimely death. I shall have ceased
to live when this letter meets your eyes.,,

"But go, Monsieur," the King exclaimed again. "These
priests are effective only in the pulpit; they can advise
well, but cannot act with energy."

The horror of that note imparted speed to the abb6 ; he
ran to the Parc-aux-Cerfs, preceded by the Marquis de
Pontecoulant, who was sent specially by the King. The
mansion was in an indescribable state, its inmates filled
with consternation at the desperate course adopted by the
hapless Helene. Several physicians were present, and
various antidotes had been tried, but without any satisfac-
tory results, At sight of the abb6, the bedside was left
free for his approach.

"Oh! my niece/' said the priest, in a voice almost
choked with grief, " how could you presume to dispose of
your life ?"

" I preferred death to infamy/'

" My niece, your honor is respected, and the King con-
cedes your requests. The Vicomte de Benavent and his
comrades are at liberty."

Then I go to my grave consoled and contented."
Dearest Helene ! live to make a husband happy ; live
to impart joy to your family."

" It is too late."

The abb6 cast imploring looks on the medical men,
whose countenances mutely indicated their conviction of

«
«

The Fawn's Escape. 305

the hopelessness of the case. The sad sacrifice appeared
nearly consummated. How she had obtained the poison
none could tell. Dissolution seemed imminent, when a
man of lofty stature, whose features, though extremely
swarthy, expressed great intelligence, entered the room.
In one hand he bore a small glass, and in the, other a
phial, containing a liquid of the deepest green color, and
perfectly clear. " I come by the King's command/' he
exclaimed ; and passing, through the yielding crowd, to
the bedside, he half filled the glass with water, into which
he dropped a portion of the green elixir. Directing Jus-
tine to raise the drooping head of the apparently expiring
girl, he succeeded in getting her to swallow the medicine.
Immediately a fierce spasm convulsed her frame; she
raised herself with surprising energy, but instantly fell back
on the pillow.

" She is dead !" exclaimed many of those present.

" She is saved/' replied the tall, swarthy man, in a tone
of perfect confidence. He was the celebrated Comte de
Saint-Germain, whose influence with Louis XV. appeared
mysterious to the courtiers, but really arose from his ex-
tensive information and research. In theory and practice
his scientific attainments were of a very high order, and
appeared still more surprising when contrasted with the
ignorance and imbecility of the aristocracy of that period.

Mademoiselle de Pal recovered so speedily as to be

capable of removing, under her uncle's care, in about a
week. On leaving the Parc-aux-Cerfs, The Escaped
Fawn received, by order of the King, a splendid note-case,
in which there was a draft on the Controller-General
for five hundred thousand francs (<3€>20,ooo.) On the
previous evening the King said to the Vicomte de Benavent :

" Monsieur, on this occasion I am endowing virtue."

x

306 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

Then he added, with a laugh, " One swallow does not
make a summer/'*

On the day that Mademoiselle left the Parc-aux-Cerfs,
her worthless father was banished from court, and enjoined
to live on his estate at Vivarais. The chevalier d'Arc had
the effrontery to present himself at court as if nothing to
his discredit had occurred. The King remarked to hiin,
that in affairs of gallantry, the consent of the young lady
was more necessary than that of her father ; and suggested
that he should in future avoid appearing in Paris or Ver-
sailles, and fix his residence at Tulle. He accordingly
retired to that place, where he died in 1779.

* The original phrase is " Une fois n'est pas coutume."

CHAPTER XXIV.

THE COUNT DE COUCY — DUMAS — A THREATENED

SUICIDE.

It is probable that these pages will be perused by some
who recollect a recent attempt to substitute a child pro-
cured in an English workhouse for the veritable heir to an
Irish earldom. It is extremely improbable that, in any
part of the world, they may be read by any person unac-
quainted with the main circumstances of the lengthened
investigations which terminated in the conviction of a
spurious aspirant to an English baronetcy. I shall now
offer my second selection from the French memoirs, tt
relates to a claim to a title of nobility, and, looking to the
source from which the statements have been derived, I
think they may fairly be designated a true account of a
falsehood.

The Marquis de Coucy sent his son to be nursed at
Gonesse, where he was left during three years, as was
usual at that period (the reign of Louis XIV.) The
young Count was then brought back to his paternal
home, and became the idolized darling of his parents,
who had no other child. When the proper time arrived to
commence his education, the first masters were engaged.
His progress was most rapid, and at sixteen, having

I

308 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

completed his preliminary studies, he was entered at the
Military Academy.

One day, whilst he was amusing himself along with
some of the Rohans, the Tremouilles, a Duguesclin or
two, and several of the young Rochefoucaults, a decrepit
female, hideously ugly, excessively dirty, although not
badly clad, proposed to this party of high-born lads to
tell their fortunes. Some haughtily rejected the old im-
postor, others eagerly embraced her offer, and amongst
them the young Coucy. She took the hands of four or
five in succession, told them her idle stories, and pocketed
their money.

All, through a motive of amusement, even those who
were not desirous of making a personal experience of her
imaginative power, surrounded the fortune-teller. When
it came to the turn of the young Count de Coucy to ex-
tend his palm, he offered it. The old hag examined his
hand for a much longer time than she had devoted to the
inspection of the preceding ones, and suddenly rejecting
it with every indication of disdain, she exclaimed — "Back,
fellow ! Begone, clown ! I am here to speak only to
gentle-folk, and not to tell the future destiny of a pea-
sant's son."

At these words there was a universal laugh : some ridi-
culing the old woman on her divining power, others vent-
ing a good-humoured raillery upon their companion. He
knew not whether to be jocular or angry. They informed
the old woman of the name and title of the illustrious
youth whom she had designated the son of a peasant, but
she continued to swear by all the saints that the young
Coucy was nothing else. The uproar occasioned by this
denunciation continued to such a pitch, that the captain of

The Count de Coucy. 309

cavalry, the commandant of the academy, interfered, and
calling a groom, directed him to turn out that woman.

" That a woman !" exclaimed the groom ; " 1 would
wager that it is a man."

Another groom declared that he had seen an indi-
vidual, in the habit of a peasant, enter a neighbouring
tavern, from whence, in about a quarter of an hour, he
had issued disguised as a female; and he averred that
the fortune-teller whom they had just expelled was the
same person. The young Count de Coucy heard these
statements with indifference ; but as they referred to a
creature who had seemed to take pleasure in insulting
him, they did not entirely lapse from his recollection.

Six months passed. One morning the Marquis de
Coucy, being in his room, was discussing with the Mar-
chioness a project of marriage for the young Count; they
were anxious to marry him to a princess of the house of
Lorraine. In the midst of their deliberations, a valet-de-
chambre appeared. He was the brother of the young
Count's foster-father, and the servant to whom the Mar-
quis manifested the greatest liking and confidence. He
apologised for disturbing their conversation, and stated that
a young man, of a most elegant demeanor and prepossess-
ing manner, and whose appearance seemed almost familiar
to him, requested to be admitted.

" Let him come in/' said the Marquis. The stranger is
introduced. He is youthful, and appears not to have passed
his seventeenth year ; his figure slight and symmetrical ;
his aspect expressive and bland ; his carriage is good, he
has a sweet smile, and his salute is agreeable. Still his
deportment does not suggest that noble blood is coursing
through bis veins. He has not the aristocratic air which

310 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

a courtly life imparts, or the polished manner derived
from elevated society.

The young man appears under the influence of some
strong emotions ; he produces a letter, and presents it to
the Marquis. It is received, and the youthful stranger
sinks upon his knees, and covers his face with his hands,
as if about to implore pardon for some great transgression.
Here is the letter : —

" Monseigneur, — Sixteen years have this day elapsed since, yielding to
the pernicious suggestions of my wife, I committed a horrible crime, of
which I now accuse myself, and for which I must endeavor to make all
possible reparation, by a full acknowledgment of my offence. This luck-
less day saw your legitimate heir taken from his cradle, and my poor son
substituted for the noble child. The imposture still continues, and it is
the son of Maurice Lesourd and Madeleine Ledaille that, in your princely
mansion, occupies the position due to your legitimate offspring, whose
youth has been condemned to the weary labours of a rustic life. Whilst
my wife lived, I reluctantly concealed this scandalous transaction, but her
death, this very day, terminates my guilty silence ; and as I do not involve
her in the punishment due to my offence, I feel the less repugnance in
submitting to the justice of the violated laws. I send you, monseigneur,
your son ; he will deliver this letter, and it is for you to place him in his
rightful position. I shall receive, in return, the unfortunate creature from
whom a brilliant career of life is thus withdrawn. Can my utmost tender-
ness ever repay him for the loss incident to this disclosure ?

" I am ready to maintain, before any tribunal, the integrity of this
statement ; and I cherish the hope, that I may still enjoy some portion of
your distinguished protection. I have the honor to be, Monseigneur, your
most humble, most respectful servant, —

"Maurice Lesourd."

The Marquis could not believe his eyes. The Marchio-
ness fell lifeless at the reading of this startling communi-
cation ; but presently, yielding to a natural impulse, raising
the young man from his humble posture, they pressed
him to their hearts, and mingled their tears whilst recog-
nising his title to their affections.

The Count de Coucy. 311

;

One thing surprised the Marquis, the style of the letter.
The young man declared that it was written by the
brother-in-law of Lesourd, the chief clerk of a Parisian
notary. €S He it was/' added the youth, " that stimulated
Lesourd to this act of justice ; he is an excellent man,
worthy of the patronage of Monseigneur "

" Say your father's patronage," replied the Marquis ;
"but his noble conduct shall not lack acknowledgment
and recompense ; from this day he shall be my confidential
agent. My present agent wishes to retire, being aged and
infirm."

Meanwhile, the Marchioness, recovering from her ex-
citement, recollecting the virtues and high endowments of
him whom she was no longer to term her son, began to
consider that to deprive him of the rights with which he
had been so long vested, would require something more
than the mere will, or even the conclusive determination,
of the Marquis. Her husband found himself meshed in
the most embarrassing manner ; and the new aspirant, who
is already invested with the title of Count de Coucy, per-
ceives that he has to encounter an obstacle of which he
had not calculated the strength and magnitude, namely,
the adverse possessibn by his rival for upwards of fourteen
years of the position in which he now sought to supersede
him. How was he to deprive him of title, rank, fortune ?
How was he to banish him from a family of which he had
so long been a cherished member ? There was nothing in
his deportment denoting the inferiority of his birth. He
bore no resemblance, indeed, to either the Marquis or
Marchioness de Coucy, but his likeness to the father of
the latter had frequently been remarked.

He now enters the apartment. His air is noble, and
with respectful affection he embraces the parents of his

312 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

love. Their fondness for him of whom they had been so
proud, and by whom their anxieties and hopes had been
engrossed, is irrepressible. They are plunged into heart-
breaking perplexity. They cannot allow the awful storm
suddenly to burst upon him. Neither the Marquis nor
his lady could summon courage for an explanation, which,
nevertheless, it was impossible long to defer. The new
claimant is withdrawn for the time, a large sum is given
for his use, and both of the parents, to whom he has
so lately presented himself as their offspring, assure
him that a speedy and rigid investigation shall be insti-
tuted.

Persons of the highest discretion and of the greatest
sagacity are put in requisition. Experienced magistrates,
profound lawyers, are consulted. They mostly declare
that the confession of the foster-father is insufficient ; but
some incline to a different opinion. The matter could not
be concealed ; in a few days it becomes publicly known.
The partisans of the new claimant make loud comments
on the insulting and disdainful manner with which a
fortune-teller at the academy had repelled the Count,
telling him that he was a plebeian. The gentlemen who
were present attested this fact, to which immense import-
ance was attached.

The unfortunate Count trembled with rage at these
attacks. He tenderly loved his parents, and was deeply
shocked at the bare possibility of losing their affections.
M. de la Rochefoucault, his most intimate friend, an-
nounced to him the damaging effect of the scene with the
gypsy. For a long time the Count had forgotten this
event; but when it was mentioned by his friend, all the
circumstances recurred to his mind, and amongst them
the expressions of the two grooms. They are sent for.

The Count de Coucy. 313

One repeats that he believed the person referred to was a
man disguised as a female ; the other declared that he
had seen a peasant enter the tavern known as de la Bonne-
Foi, rue du Petit-Lion- Saint- Sauveur, and that the same
person soon after issued forth in female attire.

The Count and his advisers betook themselves to this
tavern. They did not find it easy to enlighten the pro-
prietor, or bring him to appreciate the importance of their
inquiries ; but when he had sufficiently collected his ideas,
he declared that a peasant of Gonesse, with whom he was
personally acquainted, one Lesourd, had asked to be ac-
commodated with a room in which he could. disguise him-
self, and, he added, that Lesourd stated his motive for the
trick to be, that he was employed by the parents of a
young man to watch his conduct at the academy, and that
the disguise thus adopted afforded him the best means of
making his observations.

This was an important discovery. Lesourd encoun-
tered it by declaring that the better to punish himself for
his substitution of the false heir, and to prepare a triumph
for the cause of truth, he had made this preliminary de-
nunciation of his son. This reason appeared unsatis-
factory ; such conduct was not straightforward or candid.
Truth abhors disguises. Still the mystery was undis-
covered, and all remained involved in doubt. The most
conflicting opinions continued to be entertained, and the
best society in Paris sought no other topic for conversation
than the merits of the respective claimants to the honors
of the illustrious house of Coucy.

We have to recollect that, on the recommendation of
the new candidate, the brother-in-law of Lesourd had
been appointed agent to the Marquis de Coucy. He had
quitted the notarial office in which he had been previously

314 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

employed, and for several weeks had discharged the duties
of his new and important function. He had laboured
with great zeal to establish the claims of the recent
comer, and omitted no opportunity of furthering his cause.
This man, Romain Ladaille, possessed a spaniel, an ex-
tremely sagacious and gentle animal. The Marchioness
became fond of the dog, and allowed it into the apart-
ments of the mansion, where it became a complete pet.
One morning Romain was engaged with the Marquis on
some business of importance. A manuscript was wanting.
After a slight delay the agent found it, and laying it before
the Marquis, he casually observed, " If I had not found
the paper, Fidele would have relieved us of the difficulty;
he is so intelligent a dog, he finds anything that is lost."
Upon this he paces round the chamber, conceals his port-
folio beneath the cushions of a sofa, and then returning
to his seat, calls the dog, pretends to lament the loss of
something valuable, and makes a gesture to Fidele to
search for the missing article. The animal at once be-
takes himself to the task, as if he fully comprehended a
glance of his master ; he smells about the apartment, and
presently drags the portfolio from its place of conceal-
ment.

The Marquis was highly amused; he called the dog,
and disengaging the portfolio from his teeth, a letter drops
from it. The superscription is his own name. He opens
it, and as he reads an indescribable agitation pervades his
frame ; his hand trembles, the blood forsakes his cheeks,
and his strength scarcely suffices to ring the bell. A
servant appears, and receives an order. In a few moments
an exempt of the Police enters, and respectfully requires
to know for what purpose he has been summoned.

i€ To arrest this villain/' cries the Marquis, pointing to

The Count de Coucy. 315

his agent; "and to affix your signature to the margin of
this letter, which I have just received from his portfolio,
and which I must request you to peruse."

The Marchioness having been apprised of some extra-
ordinary discovery having been made, hastens to her
husband. "Ah, beloved wife," he says to her, "God
has had pity on our misery ; the imposture is unveiled.
Listen, it is Heaven itself that succours us.'' And he
reads —

" MONSEIGNEUR,

" I am on my death-bed, and at this awful moment, truth is a duty
which I owe to you. You have been my benefactor ; I have been reared
in your household ; you were bountiful to me on my marriage, and by you
I was chosen to nurse your only child. Three years have passed since my
husband, induced by some pernicious temptation, besought me to pass our
son Pierrot as yours, but I have always refused to commit this crime.
Nevertheless, I fear that after my death this guilty design will be per-
severed in. I therefore apprise you of the sure means of its detection. In
his childhood Pierrot fell into the fire, and the accident has left visible
marks on his legs and left arm. These scars will serve to show which is
your son and which the impostor, in case they should attempt to deceive
you on the subject Your son has not the slightest mark of a burn on any
part of his frame. All our neighbours are aware of the accident having
occurred to my child. I confide this letter to Romain, my brother, and
have enjoined him to deliver it to you. On receiving it, send for my
husband, read it to him, and he will renounce his evil project. But for the
love of God, and in the requital of the service I now render, pardon my
unfortunate husband, and do not abandon my poor Pierrot, my own
wretched son.

44 1 have the honor to be, &c, &c.

" Madeleine Ladaille femme Lesourd."
Gonesse, May 22nd, 17 12.

Beyond this letter there was nothing required to prove
the fraud of Lesourd and his brother-in-law. The latter
fell on his knees before the Marquis, beseeching mercy,

316 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

and throwing on his brother-in-law all the odium of the
infamous design in which, he said, the threats of Lesourd
had compelled him to participate. Lesourd, when brought
forward, wished to exculpate himself by attributing to
Romain the entire plan and subsequent furtherance of the
iniquitous affair. Thus, these two scoundrels aggravated
still more their detestable guilt. They finished by de-
claring that the youthful Pierrot was their willing accom-
plice.

The police, by some inquiries, succeeded in demon-
strating that the two brothers-in-law were equally willing
to promote their nefarious scheme. Justice had some vin-
dication. Lesourd and Romain were sent to the galleys,
but the Marchioness interceded for Pierrot. Some monev
was given to him, and he went to America. There, this
detestable fellow continued to call himself the Count de
Coucy.

The spaniel Fidele became the cherished pet of the true
count ; Romain never could account how the letter of his
sister, which he treasured carefully as the means of domi-
neering over his nephew in case his attempt on the title of
de Coucy should prove successful, had been taken from a
casket in which he had placed it, as a most important
possession ; how it was transferred to the portfolio he
could never conjecture. But the police received, in the
course of their investigations, some statements from which
they were led to believe that Romain was occasionally a
somnambulist. •

DUMAS.

Dumas, in the construction of the plots of some of his
novels, seems to have availed himself of facts derived from
the Police Memoirs, over which, however, he spreads a

Dumas. 317

very ample drapery of fiction. In " The Three Muske-
teers " he ascribes to a Gascon gentleman, d'Artagnan, a
clearness of perception, a promptitude of action, and a
personal intrepidity which were really exhibited by one
who was born much nearer to the Shannon than to the
Garonne, and who was a confidential attendant in the
household of the Duke of Buckingham, and is mentioned
by Bois- Robert, one of Richelieu's spies, in the following
terms : —

" I shall first state to his Eminence, that chance having
enabled me again to meet an Irishman whom I had
known in Paris, when he was pursuing his studies; I then
rendered him some service, and he, from that moment,
manifested to me the most ardent gratitude. On leaving
Paris, he proceeded to England, where, very luckily, he
became the valet-de-chambre of his grace the Duke of
Buckingham. Although the emoluments of that situation
must be considerable, Patrick O'Reilly (which is the name
of this Irishman) is always without a halfpenny. In this
respect he imitates his noble inaster. I have received him
kindly whenever he came to see me; and such is my
zeal in the service of Monseigneur, that I have submitted
to associate with this valet, hoping to obtain some useful
information respecting his master. It was also for this
purpose that I advanced him some money/1

Dumas does not entirely ignore the name of Patrick
O'Reilly, but he gives it to a jeweller, whom he mentions
as the wealthiest and most skilful of all then following
that trade in London. In his novel of the Count of
Monte Cristo, he introduces the hero as the chief officer of
a fine merchant ship. It would have been more true,
though perhaps rather vulgar, to have presented to his
readers, a shoemaker, of the description called chamber

318 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

masters, whose name was Francois Picaud, and who,
through motives of jealousy or envy, was represented to
Savary, due de Rovigo, as an agent or spy for the English
and the royalists of La Vendee. He was imprisoned,
his intended marriage having been prevented by his arrest,
and continued incarcerated at Fenestrelle from 1807 to
1814. In the prison he was appropriated as a personal
attendant to a Milanese ecclesiastic, of high rank, who
died in January, 1814, having confided to Picaud full
information as to his immense property, and the places
where the documents necessary to it were to be found.
He also gave him a brief testamentary grant of all he
possessed or was entitled to. There was a very great value
accruing to the legatee in diamonds and hidden coin, but
that treasure was in the vicinity of Milan, and the state-
ments respecting the Chateau d'lf, and the island of
Monte Cristo, were complete fictions.

As to the last novel to which I have adverted, I am
tempted into finding very great fault with one of its inci-
dents, which appears most unnatural, and therefore most
improbable. I refer to the scene between the ruined mer-
chant and his son, in which a father acknowledges his
intention to commit suicide, and ultimately persuades his
son to acquiesce in such a crime ; nay, even to use to his
parent, with the pistols lying before him prepared for the
catastrophe, the expression, " Die in peace, my father, I
will live." This is, I repeat, unnatural and improbable.
The English are said to be a suicidal people, amongst
whom a November day produces throat-cutting, pistoling,
and poisoning ; but in England was there ever an instance
of suicide being the subject of consultation between parent
and child ? Oh ! never; nor do we believe that such could
appear to our continental neighbours more consistent with

A Threatened Suicide. 319

— — ■* - - 1

the state and feelings of society amongst them than it is
amongst ourselves.

A THREATENED SUICIDE.

I may mention, in reference to suicidal attempts, that I
witnessed what I at first considered a dreadful attempt on
the part of a Frenchman to terminate his existence before
some hundreds of spectators, and in the immediate pre-
sence of a handsome young woman, whose frigid indifference
to his ardent passion for her he loudly declared had ren-
dered his life insupportable. It was during my visit to
Paris in 1853, and occurred on a Sunday, in the grounds
adjoining the palace of St. Cloud, where there were nume-
rous tables occupied fully by parties enjoying the viands
and wine, beer, or coffee, procured from two restaurants,
which were also well supplied with the choicest confec-
tions. The demented lover, who was very well-looking,
and seemed to be about five and twenty years of age,
declared, unless Mademoiselle would agree to marry him
in the ensuing week, he was determined to die there, and
shed his blood at her feet. She appeared worse than
indifferent to his entreaties and to the fatal intentions
which he expressed, for she laughed most heartlessly at
his expressions of hopeless despair. Leaving the table,
he threw an overcoat across his arm, and hurried to one
of the restaurants, from which he very quickly returned,
and made a final demand that Mademoiselle should decide
his fate. She continued inexorable, and I felt great sur-
prise that none of those who heard him interfered either
by expostulation or actual restraint. With frantic gesti-
culations he drew a pocket-pistol from under the folds of
his overcoat, and thrust it into his mouth. It produced,

320 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

however, no explosion. The pistol gave way between his
closing teeth, and the barrel was soon lodged in his
stomach. The apparently deadly weapon was made of
chocolate, of which the obdurate damsel, still laughing,
insisted on getting a portion.

CHAPTER XXV.

DARGAN'S EXHIBITION A BELL AND KNOCKER

LORD GOUGH FATHER PECHERINE's CASE

ASSAULTS AND THEFTS THE CITY MILITIA

A SCALD QUICKLY CURED — SAILORS LEAVING
THEIR SHIP.

I returned to Dublin in 1853, on tne Iotn °f May, and
had the pleasure of witnessing the opening of the Great
Industrial Exhibition in Merrion Square on the 12th. It
was a great success, and caused a very considerable influx
of visiters to Dublin, not merely from other parts of the
United Kingdom, but also from the continent of Europe,
and even more distant regions. It is unnecessary to dilate
on the beneficial tendency of such displays to awaken
tastes and excite emulation in reference to artistic produc-
tions of beauty or utility, for it is almost universally
acknowledged; but I am convinced that they produce
very salutary effects by bringing each class of society into
the view and under the observation of the others, approxi-
mating without confounding them, requiring no relinquish-
ment of rank or undue familiarity. The building in which
the exhibition was held was erected at the personal ex-
pense of William Dargan, and cost ^26,000. A statue, on
the pedestal of which " Dargan" is inscribed, now stands

Y

322 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

upon the scene of his patriotic liberality. No other in-
scription is requisite to have his generosity acknowledged
and his memory revered by his countrymen. Previous to
the opening in 1 853, it was suggested in the public press
and at the sittings of the committee, that as the inaugu-
ration of the English exhibition in 1851 had been accom-
panied by a prayer for the occasion, offered by a prelate of
the highest rank, a similar course should be observed in
Dublin. However, the opening here was not attended by
any ecclesiastical demonstration, and some few of the
spectators considered the omission culpable. At the
close of the ceremony, three or four young men passed
out at the same time that my brother magistrate, James
Magee, and I were leaving. There was no indication as
to the religious denomination to which they belonged, but
we were greatly amused at the zealous and fervent piety
of one who designated the omission of prayer, on such
an occasion, as "a d d shame."

The Dublin Exhibition of 1853 continued open until
the end of October, and during that time there was only
one charge brought for magisterial investigation from
within its limits, and it was preferred before me. There
was a portion of the building termed the "Medieval
Court/' and a man was accused of stealing, in that place,
a coat belonging to a person employed on the premises.
He confessed his guilt, and I awarded him two months'
imprisonment with hard labor for the unlawful possession
of the article. This solitary offence would, perhaps, have
lapsed from my memory but for the total ignorance of the
term " medieval" evinced by the parties concerned, for
they all spoke of the transaction as having occurred in
the " middle-evil court."

It may appear almost incredible to some of my readers

Dar gem's Exhibition. 323

that, during the erection of the Exhibition building, and
for upwards of five months in which it was resorted to
by thousands, and I may add the comparatively short time
subsequently occupied in taking down the structure and
removing the materials, there was no other infraction of
the law brought under magisterial cognizance than the
petty larceny case which I have mentioned. I hope that
I shall not be considered too discursive if I introduce here
an extraordinary and very gratifying statement of an an-
terior date. The Great Southern and Western Railway
of Ireland was opened to Carlow in 1846. The splendid
terminus at the King's Bridge and several miles of the
line are in the Dublin Metropolitan Police district. The
works on that portion included very extensive buildings
and deep excavations, and I have been credibly informed
that they cost upwards of fifty thousand pounds. A vast
number of persons' were employed, comprising the various
artisans, laborers, (commonly called navvies,) and drivers.
I was in office during the entire time of their operations,
and there was not even one complaint or charge preferred
as arising amongst any class or between individuals.
Mr. Dargan, the contractor, at a festive meeting jocularly
congratulated me "on having a sinecure, as far as regarded
the people at the King's Bridge, where there were no pro-
secutions required, except the prosecution of the works/'
I regret that at the present time such very gratifying
qualities could not be expected to a similar extent in
similar undertakings. Intemperance has become too pre-
valent, especially amongst the operative portion of the
community, to admit of large numbers being brought
together daily, without occasional, or perhaps frequent
quarrels.

324 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

A BELL AND KNOCKER.

There had been in 185a a contested election for the
city of Dublin, and the defeated party, as is usual on such
occasions, attributed their failure to the use, on the part
of their adversaries, of every unfair stratagem and corrupt
inducement. At the commencement of the Session of
Parliament in 1853, it was rumoured that a petition would
be lodged to invalidate the return, especially on the grounds
of extensive bribery amongst the freemen. It was alleged
that a certain alderman was the confidential treasurer of
the funds appropriated for the venal voters, and that a
person named Bell had been employed to procure the
men and dispense the money. The alderman was one
of my most intimate friends, and I frequently enjoyed his
hospitality. I was also acquainted with several of the
other party who were loud in their denunciations of the
corruption of which Bell was alleged to have been the
instrument. When I heard them speaking of the sums
distributed amongst the freemen, I contented myself by
affecting to lament the injustice to which I was indivi-
dually subjected, that I was a freeman of my native city,
and that I might have participated in the distribution to
which they referred, were it not for an odious statutable
enactment which prohibited a Dublin Police magistrate
from exercising the franchise, and realizing its incidental
advantages, whilst the English Metropolitan Magistrates
were subjected to no such disqualification. One of my
friends who happened to be the editor of a newspaper,
remarked that I seemed disposed to treat the recent bribery
with levity, and to regard it as mere fun, and I replied
that he was not far wrong in his conjecture, and that I
would advise him to adopt a similar course. He asked
me to commit my ideas to writing and transmit them to

A Bell and Knocker. 325

him. I acceded to his request, and he published my
communication ; but I feel confident that neither publicly
nor privately did he divulge the name of its author. No
parliamentary petition was presented; and the bountiful
treatment of the freemen was only noticed publicly in my
poor production of —

THE MAGIC BELL.
My retrospection of that election

Accords perfection to the magic " Bell,"
Whose notes so soothing were felt each booth in

Where freemen voted so prompt and welL
That Bell so cheering, our hopes uprearing,

As Green Street nearing we came to poll,
With notes persuasive, soft and adhesive,

And touch evasive of law's control.

There are joy-bells swinging, and sweetly ringing,

Their blithe sounds flinging from Christ Church high,
And Father Yore has erected more

On the Liffey's shore to the Four Courts nigh.
But more sublime than their varied chime

Of a festal time or a funeral knell,
Was the Bell so soothing, felt every booth in

Where freemen voted so prompt and well.

From the gifted Prout, we derive no doubt,

Sweet strains about days of infancy,
When * The bells of Shandon did sound so grand on

The pleasant waters of the River Lee."
We may search in vain, we'll ne'er meet again

With a sweeter strain than Moore's " Evening Bell ;"
But a Bell more soothing was felt each booth in

Where freemen voted so prompt and welL

The hermit lowly, whose thoughts are solely

On subjects holy, delights to hear,
When morn is shining or eve declining,

Sweet peals combining, his soul to cheer.
From far or near to his raptured ear

No sound so dear ever reach'd his cell,
Like the Bell so soothing, felt every booth in

Where freemen voted so prompt and well.

326 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

In a few days after the publication of the foregoing
lines, I dined at his residence near Salthill, with my friend
the alderman, and in the course of the evening he men-
tioned that Bell was greatly annoyed by such a produc-
tion, and that he considered it libellous. I asked how
could he show that it applied to him. My worthy host
said that it could not apply to any other person, and I
then remarked that it was not malicious or of an injurious
tendency, and that it had been written merely as an
attempt at harmless fun. This elicited the question of
how I knew in what spirit it had been written, to which
I replied, that I had written it myself, intending to be
jocose ; and that if my verses were not considered worthy
of laurel, they certainly did not deserve the application of
birch. To this expression I received a contradiction un-
animous but good-humored ; and it was agreed that if the
public whipping of a police magistrate could be effected, it
would be an interesting novelty and a general gratifica-
tion. There were two other aldermen present besides our
host, and they repeatedly assured me, even when shaking
hands at the conclusion of the entertainment, that they
would provide some punishment for my transgression.
On the following evening I was at the house of a friend
on Merchants' Quay, and when I returned home, after
midnight, I found that the knocker of my hall-door had
disappeared. My servant stated that two gentlemen had
called, one of whom expressed a wish to see me, and on
being informed that I was not at home, said that he
would write a note in my study and leave it for me.
Whilst he was so employed, the other remained in the
hall. At their departure the servant did not perceive that
the knocker had been abstracted ; but at my return I at
once observed the loss, and on opening the note, which

A Bell and Knocker. 327

was written in a hand manifestly disguised, I read the
following communication : —

" Mr. Porter is so expert in the fabrication of a Bell, that he may confine
himself to ringing without knocking.'1

Although I felt considerable annoyance at such an un-
warrantable trespass, whereby I lost a very handsome and
expensive brass knocker, I did not indulge in resentful
expressions or state the suspicions which I entertained.
The door remained without a knocker, as if I intended to
acquiesce in the suggestion of only using a bell. The
door had not been injured or defaced, for the knocker had
not been wrenched away, but had been unscrewed by the
person who remained in the hall whilst the other was
penning the note to me. I was repeatedly quizzed, and
subjected to mock condolence, but I treated the matter as
a practical joke, and ascribed the disappearance of my
knocker to aldermanic influence. In about a fortnight I
was invited to another dinner at Salthill, and met there
the same parties who had been at the previous entertain-
ment. Amongst the various pleasantries of the evening,
my knocker was not forgotten, and my health was drank,
accompanied by what I considered a bantering wish for
the restitution of the brazen appendage to my hall-door.
On my return home I was surprised to find the door fur-
nished with a knocker, which I soon recognized as my
own. It appeared that almost immediately after I had
left home, a man came to my house, stating that I had
ordered the article at Bryan's ironmongery warehouse in
Bride Street, and he proceeded to fix it on. I have
never since that time meddled with any " Bell," and my
door has not been interfered with in any disagreeable
manner.

328 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

LORD GOUGH.

A bout the end of 1 853, I was for a few weeks engaged
in magisterial duties at Kingstown, and on one occasion I
observed the late Viscount Gough entering the police-
court, and taking a seat in the part to which the public
were indiscriminately admitted. There was some case
pending, at the hearing of which he wished to be present,
and I immediately requested his Lordship to honor me
by occupying a seat beside me, adding that I could not
consent to a person of his high rank and illustrious char-
acter remaining in any position inferior to my own. He
declined my proposal, but consented to take a chair
between the bench and the right-hand side of the court.
His chair was rather close to the grate, which was full of
fuel, only a few minutes previously kindled. The court
was crowded, and soon became very warm, but his Lord-
ship's proximity to the grate almost immediately compelled
him to change his position. Apologizing for the inter-
ruption, he asked me to direct the office constable to
remove his chair to the left side of the court, and to place
it near a window. Acceding at once to the request of the
noble, illustrious, and worthy old warrior, I ordered his
seat to be moved to the place which he preferred, adding,
that I hoped the gentlemen of the press would report the
remarkable fact, that Lord Gough retreated from the fire
of the police, although he never had shrank from any other
fire, however hot it might have been. A member of his
family told me, in a few days after, that his Lordship con-
sidered my observation as most complimentary and grati-
fying.

Father Pecherine's Case. 329

FATHER PECHERINE's CASE.

In the discharge of my magisterial duties at Kingstown,
I had to dispose of a charge against a Roman Catholic
clergyman named Pechcrinc, for publicly burning a copy
of the Bible. The accused party was a foreigner, who had
become a member of the order of Redemptorists, and
joined a number of that community in holding " a mis-
sion" at Kingstown, in November, 1855.

He preached very frequently to numerous congregations,
and excited great admiration and even surprise by the
fluency of his language and correctness of diction. Find-
ing that many books and tracts had been distributed, in
Kingstown and its vincinity, containing doctrines or con-
troversial arguments of which he and his religious asso-
ciates disapproved, he exhorted his hearers to bring all
such publications to him, and having received a consider-
able quantity, he burned them in a large fire lighted within
the precincts of the church where the mission was held,
and between the building and the exterior railing. It was
alleged that amongst the articles thus consumed, there
was a copy of the Scriptures. A prosecution was instituted
before me, which was met by a denial that any perfect copy
of the Bible had been burned ; and that if even a portion
of one had been thus destroyed, it was by mere mischance,
and without his knowledge, intention, or approval. The
proceedings before me produced intense excitement, and a
great manifestation, especially amongst the humbler classes,
of the asperities usually incident to indications of religious
differences. I sent the case to trial at the ensuing com-
mission of Oyer et Terminer for the County of Dublin,
and the result was an acquittal ; but I refer to the occa-
sion as having produced some very striking instances of

330 ' Gleanings and Reminiscences.

the most inconsiderate and rash violence, committed
without any provocation whatever on the part of those
assailed, and in the supposition that they had been con-
cerned in a proceeding with which they were totally un-
connected.

ASSAULTS AND THEFTS.

Previous to the investigation of the complaints preferred
on summons and information, the custody cases were, as
usual, disposed of, and I had nine prisoners brought before
me for having been drunk on the public thoroughfare.
Some had been quiet and submissive, and they were fined
one shilling each. Others who had been noisy or dis-
orderly had fines of half-a-crown or a crown inflicted.
Amongst the former was a newsboy, of about nineteen
years of age, who had only one hand. Having paid his
fine, he was liberated, and passed out into George's Street,
where a crowd had collected to get the earliest intelligence
as to the progress and result of Father Pecherine's case.
When the newsboy appeared a girl in the crowd exclaimed,
"There's the horrid villain that is just after swearing
against the priest." Immediately he was seized, violently
beaten, and dashed through a large plate-glass window in
the front of a shop. Some police constables were close at
hand, and saw the sudden attack on the poor lad. They
rushed forward and arrested four men who had been
prominent in assaulting the newsboy, and one of them
was fully identified as the person who had first laid hands
on him and incited the others. I do not recollect the
names of the delinquents, nor is it material to the narrative
that I should, but when I asked if they had any defence,
or if they wished to make any statement, the ringleader
addressed me to the following effect —

Assaults and Thefts. 331

" I thought, your worship, that he was after swearing
against the priest, or I wouldn't have laid a finger on
him. It was all a mistake, and we never intended to
break the shop window. Indeed he broke that himself
trying to get away. Moreover, if what was done was
wrong, I have been well punished for it already."

I immediately designated the excuse alleged by the
prisoner as an aggravation of his offence, for if the person
attacked had been a witness, the violence used towards
him tended to defeat public justice, and to substitute
might for right, making anarchy predominant. I added
that I did not understand the allegation of the prisoner,
that he had been already punished for his gross miscon-
duct, and I wished him to explain.

" Your worship/1 he replied, " I am a carpenter, and I
was going to buy some timber for repairs to a house at
Sandycove. I had two sovereigns and a half in a little
leather purse in my waistcoat pocket. As soon as I was
brought into the police-station, I missed the money, and I
have no doubt but my pockets were picked in the crowd,
and during the confusion/'

Wishing to take a short interval for considering whether
I should adjudicate summarily, or send the case for trial
at the Quarter Sessions, I postponed it for a week, urging
the police to detect, if possible, the girl who had caused
the tumult and assault, and I allowed the prisoners to be
discharged from custody on giving ample bail for their
re-appearance, and proceeded to take the evidence adduced
on the summons against the priest. When the business
of the day was nearly concluded, two women were brought
in, having been taken in the fact of assaulting a young
woman at the market, which, at the time, was rather
crowded. The violence inflicted was very severe, and it

332 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

appeared that as the injured party was approaching the
place where the others were standing, a girl, described as
being about twenty years of age, exclaimed, "Here she

comes, the that has been swearing Father

Pecherine's life away." Immediately a scene similar to
the one in the morning was acted by female performers,
the foremost being a large powerful woman, the wife of a
publican in a neighbouring village. The supposed witness
had been struck, kicked, and scratched; her hair pulled,
and her clothes torn, and the similarity of the two zealous
manifestations was fully evinced by the publican's wife,
declaring that "she thought" the suffering party had
been swearing against the priest, and she bitterly deplored
the loss of three pounds of which her pocket had been
picked in the " scrimmage.,, Two other women were
subsequently arrested who thought too hastily and acted
t<x> violently, but the inciter had managed to elude detec-
tion, and it was believed that immediately after her second
exploit, she had hurried off to the railway and gone up to
Dublin with her booty. I dealt summarily with the
female prisoners, as the young woman whom they attacked
was obliged to leave immediately for Manchester, where
she had procured some engagement as a domestic. I
inflicted the very trifling penalty of sixpence on each
delinquent for the assault, but I supplemented each con-
viction with two pounds costs to the party assailed. This
decision, in reference to the costs, was extremely re-
pugnant to the feelings of those against whom it was
awarded. It was at once pronounced to be hard, and they
declared their total inability to pay so much for a " little
mistake," and their disapproval of my judgment was
greatly augmented by the alternative which was left to
their option of two months' imprisonment with hard labor.

The City Militia. 333

The fines and costs were almost immediately paid, and
I believe they were defrayed by a subscription. On the
newsboy's case being resumed, he declined all further
prosecution, and declared that he had been sufficiently
remunerated. The girl who had incited the attacks was
detected in the act of picking a pocket in a place of
worship at Kingstown, about a fortnight after the occur-
rence which I have detailed. She was not brought before
me, but having been committed for trial by Mr. Wyse,
her delinquencies procured her "a complete retirement
from business" for seven years. She was not an un-
thrifty thief, for it appeared at her trial that a savings'
bank book was found on searching her lodgings, in which
^37 were entered to her credit. It occurs to me that the
name of this culprit was Catherine Gaffney. Dishonesty
is very seldom associated with frugality. I have heard,
during my magisterial experience, of only two instances
of the union of such tendencies. I have already men-
tioned one. The other was a man named John Donohoe,
a shop porter in the employment of the late Alderman
Butler, in Christ Church Place. He was convicted, in
February, 1853, °f ^ve distinct larcenies on his master's
premises ; and whilst he was robbing on every possible
opportunity, he had £64. in a savings' bank.

THE CITY MILITIA.

At the commencement of the Crimean War, the militia
regiments of the United Kingdom were embodied. The
City of Dublin Light Infantry and Artillery and the
County regiment were almost entirely raised in the metro-
politan district. Recruiting for the line was also very
briskly pursued here, and I can safely and deliberately
state, that the military enrolments relieved our district of

334 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

a great number of loose characters, whose abstraction was
very salutary to our community. When the city militia
became sufficiently strong for active service, they were
embarked at Kingstown for Liverpool in a large steamer.
I was on the jetty, and I do not think the English lan-
guage could supply any opprobrious term that was not
loudly ventilated in reference to me. The copious appli-
cation of every variety of invective was really amusing to
me, and it was only noticed by a frequent smile or an
occasional laugh. It was remarked by one, that " if the

d 1 didn't take owld Porter, we might as well be

without a d 1 at all;" but another expressed his

opinion, "that the d 1 was in no hurry to grip the

owld rascal, as he was certain to get him at last." I am
sure, however, that if another police magistrate had been
also present, he would have been considered fully entitled
to participate equally in the compliments which I mono-
polized, and which I only notice in the hope that some
remarks which I intend to submit to my readers in a sub-
sequent page may be considered interesting, and perhaps,
I may add, important.

A SCALD QUICKLY CURED.

An infantry regiment of the line was embarked at
Kingstown in a very capacious steamer, I believe the
Medusa, for Gibraltar or Malta. There was a large quan-
tity of baggage which the men were actively engaged in
conveying on board and stowing away. I was sauntering
on the jetty wfren, at one o'clock, they were directed " to
knock off for dinner." The meal was served on deck, and
consisted of soup, bread, and meat, and the recipients
availed themselves of every position in which they could
speedily enjoy their repast. The circular seat around the

A Scald quickly cured. 335

window on the quarter-deck was fully occupied. The
soup was brought up in large tin basins, and the bread
was amply supplied, ready cut, from wicker baskets. One
of the men who occupied the circular seat, seeing a basket
of bread placed almost within his reach, stood up, ad-
vanced about a yard, and having procured what he re-
quired, stepped backward to resume his place. Mean-
while, one of the attendants had placed a large vessel of
soup on the portion of the bench apparently vacant, and
the soldier sat down in it. With a loud scream, indica-
tive of acute pain, he rushed to the tafferel, and plunged
into the sea. He was immediately rescued from the risk
of drowning, and having been brought on board, was sent
below for medical treatment, and to get his wet clothes
changed. I saw him on deck in the course of the after-
noon, and he stated that he was suffering very little, and
that he would be " all right'' very soon. Unless the tem-
perature of the soup was below scalding heat, the instan-
taneous application of the cold water, although of a saline
character, must have been extremely efficacious.

SAILORS LEAVING THEIR SHIP.

A large ship was quartered to convey the head-quarters
of the nth hussars from Kingstown to Balaklava. A
considerable number of horses were embarked, and there
were slings fastened to the roof and passing under each
animal's body, which supported him whilst sleeping, but
without allowing him to lie down. All arrangements for
sailing had been completed. A steamer was provided to
tow the vessel to the outside of the Kish Bank, and the
wind was as favorable as possible for proceeding down the
Channel. The captain announced, about ten o'clock, a.m.,
that he would leave at noon, whereupon three of his crew

336 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

asked him to defer his departure until the next day, and
to allow them to spend the intermediate time ashore. On
his refusal, they required him to hoist a signal, which, to
the best of my recollection, was a blue shirt, at the fore-
top, and he complied with their demand, inasmuch as,
according to his statement to me, his refusal would subject
him to most severe penal consequences. The signal de-
noted that there were persons on board willing to serve
in the Royal Navy ; and as soon as it was displayed, a
lieutenant who was stationed at Kingstown, on the duty
of naval recruiting, went on board, and was informed by
the three sailors that they were desirous of joining his
service. He acceded to their application, and the captain
found himself unable to put to sea for want of sufficient
hands, and without any expectation of being able to supply
the deficiency for some days. In this emergency, he ap-
plied to me to have the men treated as wilful absconders,
and to send them back to the ship. I had a communi-
cation with the lieutenant, whose name, I think, was
Henderson ; and whilst he fully admitted the hardship of
which the captain complained, he declared that his orders
were so stringently imperative that he could exercise no
discretion, and had no alternative course to adopt. I ob-
served that by retaining the men there would be a serious
injury inflicted by one department of the public service
on another, and that it amounted to military exertion
being paralyzed by naval interference. He agreed with
me as to the injurious effect of having the ship detained,
but declared that he was unable to prevent it. I said that
under the circumstances, I was inclined to have the men
taken and sent back to the vessel from which they had
virtually absconded. To this he replied, that he would

Sailors leaving their Ship. 337

offer no resistance to the execution of any warrant or order
that I might issue, but that he would report the proceeding
to the Admiralty, Thereupon, I suggested to the captain
to have the ship taken from alongside the jetty to the
centre of the harbour, and to stop any further communi-
cation with the shore. This was immediately done, and
I then sent a warrant for the seamen, and had them con-
veyed on board, having previously advised them to go of
their own accord, which they declined doing, with the inti-
mation that if they ever returned to Ireland, they would
smash every bone in my body, even if they were to be

hanged the next minute for killing such a d d old

scoundrel. When they arrived at the ship, they told
the captain that they would not do any duty, to which
he replied that, whilst they refused to work, they need
not expect to get any rations. The rest of the crew
disapproved of their conduct, and I believe that they
soon became reconciled to a resumption of duty. The
lieutenant informed me, in a few days after the transac-
tion, that he had fully reported the circumstances to the
Admiralty, and that they approved of the course I had
adopted, and exonerated him from any censure. I was
subsequently informed by him, that on the arrival of
the ship at Balaklava, she was boarded by a party from
the flag-ship, and the officer in command produced the
documents incident to the enlistment of the three men
at Kingstown, and claimed them as belonging to the
naval service. They had, however, the advantage of
being allowed their pay, as seamen in the Queen's ser-
vice, from the date of their enrolment at Kingstown,
and they also had their wages from the vessel in which
they had been employed during the voyage to the Crimea.

338 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

None of them have returned as yet to realize their fear-
ful intention on him whom they designated "a d d

old scoundrel;" and he never entertained the slightest
apprehensions of any violent commentary on the course
he adopted towards them.

CHAPTER XXVI

EFFECTS OF ENLISTMENT MARTIAL TENDENCIES

THE SHE BARRACKS THE DUBLIN GARRISON

AN ARTILLERY AMAZON A COLONEL OF DRA-
GOONS DONNYBROOK FAIR THE LIQUOR

TRAFFIC.

In one of the preceding pages I stated that "the military
enrolments relieved our district of a great number of loose
characters, whose abstraction was very salutary to our
community." I subsequently expressed an intention to
submit to my readers " some remarks that might be con-
sidered interesting, and perhaps important/'

It is unnecessary to particularise the numerous varieties
of objectionable tendencies and habits, any of which will
be considered sufficient to constitute the person exhibiting
them " an undoubted scamp." In Dublin and its suburban
districts, society has never been free from the evils inci-
dent to the existence of such disreputable characters ; but
I fully believe that we are not more tainted by them than
any other part of the United Kingdom of equal extent and
population. The three regiments of militia embodied at the
commencement of the Crimean war relieved us of some
hundreds of loose, disorderly, or dishonest fellows, the rid-
dance of whom produced a very desirable decrease in the

34° Gleanings and Reminiscences.

custody cases of our police-courts. However, at the ter-
mination of the war, those regiments were brought back,
and disembodied in the locality where they had been
raised ; and many persons might reasonably expect very
disagreeable and injurious results from the return of those
whose departure was regarded as a happy riddance by the
community from which they had been abstracted. But
very few instances occurred of the discharged militia-men
relapsing into disreputable habits and criminal practices.
Military service had produced a great and most desirable
reformatory effect. Supervision, strict without unneces-
sary severity, with the adjuncts of regular and wholesome
diet, comfortable clothing and personal cleanliness, emu-
lation in the efficient discharge of duty, and the incite-
ments arising from the preference accorded in various
minor appointments and employments to the well-con-
ducted soldier — all these, together with a change from the
scene of previous improprieties and disreputable associa-
tions, strongly tended to generate a desire for improve-
ment, and the acquisition of a new character. Similar
results were observable in reference to the last enrolment
and subsequent disembodiment of those regiments conse-
quent on the outbreak and suppression of the Indian
mutiny. I wrote to the late Lord Herbert of Lea, then
Mr. Sydney Herbert, and Secretary of State for War, in
reference to the reformatory results, which I attributed to
military influence. He read my letter in the House of
Commons when moving the army estimates, and excited
much laughter by stating that he did not think it expedient
to mention the name of the writer or the regiments to
which the communication referred.

My eldest son was a lieutenant in the County of Dublin
Militia, which, soon after being embodied, was stationed

Martial Tendencies. 341

at Waterford. One morning he was crossing the barrack
yard from his quarters, to serve on a regimental court-
martial, before which some disorderly or insubordinate
characters were to be brought, when he was accosted by
the wife of one of the delinquents. She earnestly besought
him not to be very severe on " poor Larry," and that it
would be a hardship if he got worse treatment in Water-
ford than he'd get in Dublin for a little spree. She added,
" The owld gentleman, your father, long life to him, never
put the poor fellow up for more than a week at a time."

MARTIAL TENDENCIES.

During the period of my magisterial duty, I almost in-
variably discharged the afternoon business, by an arrange-
ment with my colleagues, which tended to their convenience
and mine. The attestations of recruits were very seldom
taken in the morning, and consequently they were gener-
ally made before me. At the commencement of the
Crimean war, recruiting was very rife, and I was fre-
quently appealed to by the recruit as to the particular
place in which the regiment for which he was enlisted was
stationed, inasmuch as he had bargained to be sent " where
the fighting was going on." This desire could not be
attributed to any excitement arising from sudden caprice
or whim, or from indulgence in liquor, for the attestation
was never administered until twenty-four hours had elapsed
after enlisting, and unless the recruit appeared perfectly
sober, and aware of the responsibility which, with his own
free will, he was required to assume.

There was a man named Roger Tobin, who lived some-
where about the classic locality of Stoneybatter. He
appeared to be about twenty-five years of age, tall, strong,
intelligent, healthy, and handsome. There were at least

342 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

a dozen public-houses which the recruiting sergeants fre-
quently visited at the time of the Crimean campaign,
being then in quest of the martial spirits to whom pay,
booty, promotion, and military glory were promised as
certain acquisitions, all considerations of danger or death
being left unmentioned and ignored as improbable or im-
possible. Roger would enter one of these houses, having
previously ascertained that the sergeant had not yet
arrived, and he would locate himself in a chair or on a
bench close to a table, and order some moderate refresh-
ment. He manifested an intense anxiety as to the most
recent news from the seat of war, and generally succeeded
in making the proceedings of our army the subject of
conversation amongst the persons present. When the
collector of future heroes appeared, he was sure to be
greeted by Roger with the warmest wishes for his success
in providing gallant hearts and strong hands to repel the
encroachments of Russia. The poor Poles would be com-
miserated, and our brave French allies eulogized. Every
topic calculated to excite martial feelings would be ad-
verted to by the enthusiastic Roger. Such expressions
would naturally lead the sergeant to conclude that he
might calculate on one recruit accompanying him back to
barracks, and his request or suggestion of immediate
enlistment met with a ready acquiescence. The magic
shilling having been paid, the new recruit would spend it
in an additional libation, and address an earnest exhorta-
tion to any young fellows then present to follow his
example. The sergeant would not be slow in giving a
further advance, the application of which to convivial pur-
poses might procure him two or three additional adherents.
Ten shillings, or perhaps more, having been joyously
spent, Roger was informed that he was to accompany the

The She Barracks. 343

sergeant, and any others who had joined, and receive
accommodation in the barrack, from whence he would be
brought next day to the police-court for attestation.
Promptly acceding to this direction, and raising his fine
manly figure, he left the table, and enabled the disgusted
sergeant to perceive that his recruit was club-footed, and
totally incapable of ever being put in marching order.
How the expenses incurred were afterwards liquidated,
whether the sergeant was the loser, or the liability devolved
on the recruiting department, I am unable to state, but I
fully believe that Roger repeated the same trick on many
occasions. It would seem that each Serjeant did not wish
to be the last victim, and consequently none of them dis-
closed the deception to the new comers, or to those in other
parts of the metropolitan district. Roger's game was
spoiled by a warning communicated to the recruiting
stations from the police.

THE SHE BARRACKS.

When the Richmond Barracks were built at Golden
Bridge, they were intended to afford ample accommoda-
tion for more than an entire regiment. There were also
barracks at Island Bridge, and the distance between both
was about half a mile. The former were generally occu-
pied by infantry, and the latter by artillery. A person in
the vicinity had a large building constructed through a
speculative motive of a very extraordinary kind. He was
aware that soldiers marrying without leave, or whose
wives were dishonest, turbulent, quarrelsome, slovenly, or
habitually intemperate, were not allowed to bring such
objectionable characters into the regimental quarters. He
consequently calculated that he would find no difficulty in
having his premises occupied by tenants, to whose habits

344 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

and morals he attached no importance, provided they paid
the rent, and his expectations were not disappointed.
His apartments were no sooner vacated by the incorrigible
termagants of one regiment, than a succession of vixens
was supplied from another to fill the unedifying edifice.
The proprietor had not appropriated any particular name
to the building, but it became speedily known in the dis-
trict under the designation of " The She Barracks." In
the southern division of the police district, there were five
extensive military barracks, and I can unhesitatingly de-
clare, that the cases supplied for police intervention or
magisterial decision from them all, were completely out-
numbered by those derived from the com parti vely diminu-
tive limits of the structure designed for the use and
associated with the name of the softer sex. The details of
the various charges and summonses in which inmates of
these premises were compromised, would neither be in-
structive nor amusing, but I cannot ever forget a case in
which two women, the wives of artillerymen, appeared, on
summons and cross-summons, to swear against each other
to the greatest extent of culpability. Each of them im-
puted to her adversary the inclination and avowed inten-
tion to commit every offence of a violent or malicious de-
scription, and neither came unprovided with witnesses ready
to surmount the most elevated pinnacles of exaggeration.
Whilst this auction of swearing was in progress, the hus-
bands of the two inmates of the She Barracks were seated
together, quietly listening to the proceedings, apparently
on very friendly terms with each other, and not evincing
any anxiety for the success of their respective consorts.
At the close, I directed the informations of the parties to
be engrossed, and stated that I would commit both for a
month, unless they respectively found a surety in five

The Dublin Garrison. 345

_ - - — - ■ - —

pounds for their future good behaviour. I added, that as
they were strangers, I did not suppose they could easily
find bail amongst their neighbours, and that I was satisfied
to take the husband of each as a surety for his wife. Im-
mediately I was addressed by one of the artillerymen to
the following purport : —

" May it please your honor, I'm only a private soldier,
and where would I get five pounds in a day or two, when
they begin again. Besides, if I was a fit bail, I would
sooner be bound for his wife's behaviour than for my own
wife's. 'Tis best to let them go." Then turning to his
comrade, he added, " Come, Sam, we're likely to have a
quiet month while they're both up/"

Nevertheless, he was disappointed, for the two viragoes,
acting on the suggestion of an attorney who had been
engaged in the case, came almost immediately to terms,
and neither of them would make an information. They
were consequently liberated, and instead of having a quiet
month, I am sure that the artillerymen had, during that
time, to undergo some heavy domestic bombardments.

THE DUBLIN GARRISON.

The regular military establishments in our district pro-
duced very few cases for decision by the civil authorities.
I am not able to state the exact strength of the Dublin
garrison, but I believe that it is the largest in the United
Kingdom, and that the seven barracks never contain less
than five thousand men of all ranks and arms. Since the
commencement of the present century, this city has had
quartered within its limits or immediate suburbs every re-
gular regiment in the service, and large bodies of militia. In
1813, a private dragoon named Tuite deserted, and on a
Sunday morning stopped a gentleman named Goulding

346 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

on South Circular Road, near Portobello, for the purpose
of robbing him. The offence had a fatal conclusion, for
Goulding was shot through the heart, and the murderer
was apprehended and executed. After his conviction he
acknowledged his guilt, but declared that he intended only
to rob, and that the discharge of the pistol was occasioned
by his trepidation. In 1818, a corporal named Alliard
was indicted for murdering a woman named Flood, in a
cellar in Thomas Street, and he was acquitted. These
two cases constituted all the capital charges preferred
against soldiers before civil tribunals in our district from
1800 to the present time.. During my magistrature of
upwards of twenty years' duration, I had to send two pri-
vate soldiers for trial on a charge of passing base coin,
and one of them was convicted. I had no cognizance or
knowledge of offences purely military as to their nature or
number. Whenever a soldier was found on a public
thoroughfare in a state of intoxication, he was taken by
the police, and when sober, sent by magisterial order to
the officer commanding at his quarters ; but the number
of such captures was very inconsiderable. Indeed if the
entire population of the district had been strictly similar
to the military in their habits and conduct, my office
would have been almost a sinecure.

AN ARTILLERY AMAZON.

There was an affair brought under my cognizance about
seven years previous to my retirement, of which I have a
perfect recollection, and in which, I am free to confess,
I busied myself beyond my magisterial duties for mere
amusement. An artillery soldier strolled into town from
his barracks at Portobello, and having indulged freely in
liquor, betook himself to a house in Bow Lane, off Mercer

An Artillery Amazon. 347

Street, about ten o'clock at night. He was unable to
return to his quarters, and having been undressed, was
placed in bed to sleep off his intoxication. The inmates
of the house were by no means of a reputable description,
and amongst them was a female unusually tall in stature,
and with proportional amplitude of figure. In a sudden
whim, she arrayed herself in the uniform of the sleeping
soldier, and set out on a nocturnal promenade, to the infi-
nite amusement of her associates, by some of whom she
was accompanied. Their obstreperous merriment attracted
the attention of the police, and eventuated in the arrest of
the amazon. On my arrival at the police-court on the fol-
lowing morning, I was apprised of the extraordinary charge
which awaited my investigation ; and I immediately com-
municated with a gentleman with whom I was personally
acquainted, and who was in a high position connected
with the Ordnance Office. He came to me, and we ar-
ranged that I should not dispose of the case in the police-
court until the circumstances were made known to the
military authorities at Portobello. When the woman was
brought before me, I directed a sergeant of police to take
her in a covered vehicle to the barrack, and, in the mean-
time, the artillery man was captured in Bow Lane by a
party sent from the barracks ; and as his own attire was
not forthcoming, he was brought away in a cab, and with
habiliments not altogether suitable to his sex or his sta-
tion. The heroine was submitted to some of the women,
who divested her of the martial appearance she had as-
sumed, and transferred the garments to two non-commis-
sioned officers, who gave in return the clothes or impro-
vised vestments that covered the soldier during his return
to barracks. I did not inflict any further punishment on
the woman, and I believe that the artillery man was not

348 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

severely treated ; but I was informed by some of his officers
that he was made the object of the most persistent banter
and ridicule amongst his comrades, who accorded him the
soubriquet of " Mary Anne." I believe, indeed, that se-
vere corporal punishment inflicted on his delinquency
would not have deterred the other soldiers from the com-
mission of a similar error so effectually as the jests and
sarcasms supplied from amongst themselves, and sug-
gested by the appearance of one who had returned from
his roving so very unsuitably.

A COLONEL OF DRAGOONS.

Before I pass from the recollections and favorable im-
pressions produced by the almost uniform good conduct of
the gallant members of our garrison, I am disposed to
give my readers a short narrative, without any other com-
ment than the expression of an opinion that it is one of
the many instances in which fact appears stranger than
fiction. A lady, the widow of a medical officer, having
presented a memorial soliciting a commission for her son,
received a reply appointing him to a regiment in one of
our most distant colonies, and involving the necessity of
his speedy departure from this country. At her request I
interested myself to procure for him an outfit, promptly
supplied, of excellent quality and of very reasonable price.
It was furnished by Buckmaster, Malyn, and Co., of
Dawson Street, who have also an extensive establishment
in London. I had occasion to call two or three times
during the execution of the order, and I was making one
of those visits when two officers entered. On seeing them,
Mr. Malyn said to me, " This colonel is a most extraor-
dinary man ; when he is gone I shall tell you why I say
so." The officers were in the uniform of a heavy dragoon

A Colonel of Dragoons. 349

regiment; one was the lieutenant-colonel, the other was the
adjutant. The former was in face and figure such a man as
I would consider that no painter or statuary would decline
to accept as a faultless model for a splendid artistic produc-
tion. His communication was very brief, but he appeared
to be intelligent and courteous. When he departed, Mr.
Malyn told me that he remembered him working on their
shopboard, as a tailor, at their house in New Burlington
Street, London; that he knew his business perfectly,
being skilful, sober, and industrious. Nevertheless, he
disliked such a sedentary occupation, and being fond of
equestrian exercise, enlisted in the dragoons. Having
entered the service, his conduct was such as gained the
approbation of his superiors, and he soon attained the rank
of sergeant. In active service he evinced patience,
promptitude, and courage; and the adjutancy having
become vacant he was appointed to it, with a concomitant
commission. Being thus entitled to be received in society
as an officer and a gentleman, he gained respect and
esteem in his new position, and also succeeded in marry-
ing a lady possessed of a very ample fortune, by which he
was enabled to expedite promotion whenever it could be
acquired by purchase. His success would seem to have
resulted from persistent good conduct, winning and retain-
ing the favorable opinions of all who could materially aid
his advancement. The most imaginative of our romance
writers would certainly shrink from presenting for our
perusal the ideal descent of a field-officer's epaulets upon
the shoulders of a journeyman tailor.

DONNYBROOK FAIR.

I have to notice an event which occurred in 1855, and
was productive of most salutary results, not merely to the

350 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

suburb in which it was effected, but to the entire city and
county of Dublin ; I mean the abolition or suppression of
Donnybrook Fair. This excellent proceeding was effected
at the instance and mainly by the exertions of Alderman
Joseph Boyce, who was Lord Mayor of Dublin in the last-
mentioned year. It would be almost impossible to describe
the scenes of drunkenness, violence, gambling, and gross
indecency that characterized an entire week in the month
of August, every year whilst " The Brook " afforded its
immoral attractions, causing our prisons to be immediately
crowded with loose, disorderly, or dishonest characters, so
as to resemble hospitals in a locality suddenly visited by
an epidemic or contagious distemper. I do not believe
that, for many years previous to its suppression, Donny-
brook Fair was ever held without being the direct or
indirect cause of a life or lives being lost. It lasted for a
week ; and the greatest intemperance and violence seemed
to be specially displayed on the day known as "the Walk-
ing Sunday." I visited the fair on several occasions in my
days of boyhood, and I can recollect some sad accidents in
which lives were lost or limbs fractured by vehicles having
been driven furiously by drunken " jarveys." I have seen
the body of a female taken out of a mill-race close to the
fair green, into which she had fallen in a state of intoxica-
tion. I witnessed a very furious encounter on the bridge
between coal-porters and some other class of combatants,
in which a man was thrown over the battlement and
killed by the fall ; but the worst experience that I had of
Donnybrook was in 1820, when an amiable and most
inoffensive young gentleman, named James Rogerson, was
walking beside me through the main street of the village,
about eight o'clock in the evening, and was struck in the
head by a large stone thrown at another person. He was

Donny brook Fair. 351

felled by the blow, and was raised in a state of insensi-
bility. After he had revived a little, I took him in a
covered car to his father's residence in William Street,
where he died in a few days from the effects of the injury,
and the perpetrator of the fatal assault was never made
amenable for the offence. From the time when I attained
the police magistracy in 1841 until 1855, ' nad t0 deal
with an ample share of the charges and summonses arising
from the annual nuisance of Donnybrook Fair; and I fully
agreed with my colleagues in considering such duties as
" moral scavenging ;" and just as pedestrians might apolo-
gise for mud-covered feet or bespattered garments being
unavoidable in filthy thoroughfares, so the delinquencies
arising from the various evil excitements abundantly
offered in the locality where they occurred, were almost
invariably imputed to the offender having unfortunately
gone to " The Brook." I must admit that in disposing of
drunken or disorderly cases, I was often influenced by the
consideration that when such an annual abomination was
tolerated in a civilized community, it was a ground for
slightly mitigating the punishments incurred by yielding
to its abundant temptations.

In the early pages of these reminiscences I mentioned
that a Lord Lieutenant of Ireland had dined in a tent at
Donnybrook Fair. I have heard doubts expressed as to
the correctness of such a statement. I now reiterate it,
adding that it occurred in 1808, in the viceroyalty of the
Duke of Richmond. It was noticed in several newspapers
of the time, but not with the slightest expression of dis-
approval. It was almost an established custom for the
Lord Mayor and Sheriffs, with many of the aldermen and
common council, to dine at the fair, but their festivities
were enjoyed in a house. The place was then in the city

352 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

of Dublin, but it has since, along with a large adjoining
district, been added to the county of Dublin as regards
any civil or criminal jurisdiction, but the parliamentary
franchises are available in the city, although the district
forms no portion of it, and possesses no municipal privi-
leges whatever. This arrangement, or perhaps it might
be termed " derangement/' occurred in 183a. I shall not
digress into any remarks on local changes of a political
nature, but resume my recollections of the fair now so
properly abolished.

Almost every tent displayed the proprietor's name, and
generally the place of his residence, to induce visiters, from
the same direction, to give him a preference. Colored
signs were frequently exhibited, which at night became
transparencies by a lamp being placed behind each. On
one might be seen the representation of a fellow apparently
dancing with a young female, whilst underneath was
inscribed —

" Here Paddy comes to have a swig,
A better one he never took ;
And now he '11 dance an Irish jig
With Dolly Dunne of Donnybrook."

I recollect another sign representing a bee-hive, for the
exhibition of which no reason of an industrial nature was
adduced. It displayed the following invitation : —

" In this hive we 're all alive,

Good whisky makes us funny ;

So don't pass by, but stop and try

The sweetness of our honey."

Such were some instances of the allurements to partici-
pate in dissipations then not merely permitted, but en-
couraged, but which have happily been prevented from

Donny brook Fair. 353

continuing their periodical infractions of public peace, and
their interruptions of quietude and industry. I shall con-
clude my observations on the subject by quoting a verse
of one of Ned Lysaght's songs, which tends strongly to
prove that drunken violence was not merely tolerated, but
made the occasion of a laudatory strain —

" Whoe'er had the luck to see Donnybrook fair,
An Irishman, all in his glory, was there,

With his sprig of shillelagh and shamrock so green.
His clothes spic and span new, without e'er a speck,
A neat Barcelona* entwined on his neck ;
He goes into a tent and he spends half-a-crown,
He comes out, meets a friend, and for love knocks him dawn,

With his sprig of shillelagh and shamrock so green."

I sincerely hope that the "glory* derived from Donny-
brook Fair has been for ever quenched, and that future in-
dications of love for a friend will not require to be illustrated
by the application of a shillelagh. Some of my readers
may not be aware that this designation of a cudgel is
derived from a barony named Shillelagh, in the County of
Wicklow, which has been celebrated for its oak woods
from a very remote period. I believe at present they are
the property of Earl Fitzwilliam; and I have frequently
heard that the timber contained in the roof of Westminster
Hall was supplied from them. I am not aware, however,
that the propinquity of such material has produced any
quarrelsome or combative tendencies amongst the senators
or legal practitioners who frequent the locality.

THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC.

I am disposed to offer here a few observations in refer-
ence to the liquor traffic, and the effect of the laws by

* A showy description of silk handkerchief, supposed to be derived from
a Spanish city, and associated with its name.

% A

354 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

which it is regulated. I have heard the commission of
every offence in which violence was a principal ingredient,
attributed to the demoralising and infuriating indulgence
in strong drinks. I am convinced, by my official expe-
rience, that hundreds of crimes unattended with actual
violence, have also originated in the debasing craving for
stimulating liquors. Frauds and thefts have been abun-
dantly committed from such an incentive ; and even affec-
tion has been extinguished by its loathsome power so
completely, as to make the criminality and degrading
infamy of a son or daughter subsidiary to the gratification
of intemperate habits ; and the result of recent legislation
has certainly neither remedied, nor in my humble opinion
mitigated, the prevalence of drunkenness and its multi-
farious concomitant evils. We are informed that a strict
observance of the statute prohibiting the opening of public-
houses on Sunday before two o'clock, p.m., has been en-
forced, and notwithstanding that regulation, we see nume-
rous cases of intoxication in our thoroughfares two or three
hours before the publicans open. On a Sunday in the
present year, a servant-man left my house between ten
and eleven o'clock, in the forenoon, and returned, or rather
was brought back, in less than two hours completely in-
toxicated. In such a case the law is only operative in
restraining the regular licensed trader. To deal with
those infractions of the law and of public decency, the
visitorial powers of the police and constabulary should be
greatly extended ; and the penalties incident to a convic-
tion for the illicit traffic should be augmented to at least
fourfold the amount now authorised, with the alternative,
in case of non-payment, of three or four months' imprison-
ment with hard labor. In the preceding pages I have
mentioned a conviction for smuggling tobacco, on which a

The Liquor Traffic. 355

penalty of one hundred pounds or six months' imprison-
ment was awarded. I recollect a detection of an illicit
still in a house on Haddington Road, in reference to which
the Excise authorities required that every adult found on
the premises should be subjected to very severe penalties,
or imprisonment for some months; and when I declined
to convict a young woman who was washing clothes in the
dwelling-house, and who was not a resident, but merely
employed there occasionally, the professional gentlemen
engaged in the prosecution were very dissatisfied with my
decision. Offences against the Customs or Excise, which
tend to withhold or lessen the revenue, even in the slightest
degree, are made legally liable to penal consequences, com-
pared with which the infractions of laws intended to pro-
tect the community from the innumerable evils generated
by intemperance, may be regarded as trifling indiscretions,
undeserving of strict and severe repression. If a trader
sends forth from his premises one hundred drunken cus-
tomers, to exhibit every phase of violent or indecent
behaviour, his conduct is not visited with one-tenth of the
punishment incurred by selling a glass of potteen whisky.

CHAPTER XXVII.

THE COLLEGE ROW — THE COOK STREET PRINTER —

A QUESTION AND ANSWER — A BARRISTER —

AN ATTORNEY— GIBRALTAR.

The latter portion of my period of magisterial service was
very scanty in the production of events worthy of being
recorded. On the J 2th of March, 1858, the Earl of Eg-
Iinton arrived in Dublin to assume the Lord Lieutenancy,
as successor to the Earl of Carlisle, who had left on the
8th of that month, in consequence of the dissolution of
the Palmerston Ministry. I believe that in the respective
selections of Lords Carlisle and Eglinton, the Liberal and
Conservative administrations succeeded in giving to the
Irish community functionaries deservedly popular with
all ranks and conditions. I therefore consider it a subject
of great regret that the entry of the latter nobleman, on
the day above mentioned, should have been attended with
a riot in College Green, in which the police and the stu-
dents of the University came into collision. The place
of the occurrence was not within the limits of the police
division to which I was attached, but I happened to be
in a house very close to the scene, and had the fullest op-
portunity of witnessing the entire affair. It commenced
by the throwing of squibs and crackers from within the

The College Row. 357

rails in front of the College, which rendered the horses of
the mounted police and of a few dragoons very unquiet,
and irritated some of the riders. I believe that amongst
the persons engaged in annoying the police there were
many who were not students. An attempt to repress
forcibly the throwing of the squibs and crackers produced
the addition of some stones to the missiles, and the affair
eventuated in the reading of the Riot Act by Colonel
Browne, the Commissioner of Police, and the clearing of
the space between the building and the front railing by
an attack of the police, in which some severe blows were
inflicted. Happily, none of them resulted in fatal or per-
manent injury. A very lengthened investigation super-
vened, during which animosity and irritation almost entirely
subsided, and were replaced by feelings of mutual kindness.
I think that an extract from the proceedings, dated the
10th of April, may afford to my readers a most creditable
and praiseworthy manifestation by the police and the
students. I may mention that Mr. M'Donough, Q.C.,
was engaged in the inquiry on the part of the collegians,
when Colonel Browne expressed himself as follows : —

" I am sure Mr. M'Donough will not be displeased with
me if I say that T thought the police, whom I consider a
fine body of young men, had been ill-treated for an hour
or two by a number of young gentlemen. They were
on unpleasant duty, not of their own will ; and I was
more annoyed to see them so treated than if there had
been fifty dozen stones showered on myself. They, too, were
irritated at seeing stones thrown at me. All I now wish
to say is this, I take the entire responsibility of all that
occurred on myself. (Sensation.) I gave the order, and
ought to be accountable for everything that happened. It
is not because two or three of the men have, and no doubt

358 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

did, act intemperately, that the others should be punished.
The whole concern should be thrown on me ; and I hope
the collegians will cast it on me, and forgive me. I have
a great regard for the collegians, and have always had,
and to the last moment of my life I shall remember the
kindness with which they have treated me. I thought
that a good feeling existed between my men and them,
and I think there did. 1 feel regret for what has occurred—
regret that will go down with me to my grave, and I say
none but myself alone ought to bear the consequences of
what has occurred."

Mr. M'Donough — " After that expression of regret,
Colonel Browne, I, as a gentleman, shall not ask you
another question." (Loud expression of approbation from
the students and others present.)

Mr. M'Dermott, (Police Magistrate) — " 1 hope the
language of Colonel Browne will be received in the spirit
in which it is offered. It is as creditable to him as the
ebullition of feeling which we have just heard, and at which
I do not wonder, is creditable to the students of Trinity
College."

Mr. M'Donough — " And I am proud and happy that
my young friends have shown how they can feel."

The applause was continued for some time longer.
Colonel Browne, who seemed to be altogether overcome
by emotion, retired amidst warm demonstrations of regard.
No ulterior proceedings were adopted, and thus terminated
the only collision or misunderstanding between the civil
authorities and the students of the University that occurred
from the commencement of my magisterial duties in
1841 to the present time. Colonel Browne retired from
office in 1858, upon a pension of rf8oo per annum. He
has also the half-pay of a lieutenant-colonel, and is a

The College Row. 359

Companion of the Bath. He is decorated with the Penin-
sular medal for military service in the army under Welling-
ton in his early Spanish campaigns. He was succeeded
as Commissioner of Police by Colonel Lake, whose services
have been highly and deservedly appreciated, especially in
the defence of Kars, when besieged by the Russians.

Almost immediately after the collision between the police
and the collegians, a song was composed, in reference to
the affair, by a gentleman who has acquired by it and
several other productions of a comic character, a reputation
which obtains for him a most enthusiastic reception in the
choicest convivial reunions. He introduces the most ex-
travagant fictions, and enunciates them with such apparent
seriousness, as suffices completely to dissolve the gravity
of his hearers. His song on the " College Row " imputes
the "doleful tragedy " to the resentment of the Duchess
of Sutherland, Lord Carlisle's sister, consequent on his
loss of the Lord Lieutenancy, and the appointment of
Lord Eglinton. She communicates by telegrams with the
Commissioners of Police, and remits five hundred pounds
to supply their force with ardent spirits, closing the com-
munication with an injunction, that in case of any enthu-
siasm being manifested by the students on the public entry
of Eglinton, they should be at once subjected to the most
unsparing application of swords, batons, and bayonets.
The ballad describes the carnage provoked by the explo-
sion of a few crackers and squibs, as being fully equal to
the worst excesses of our Indian sepoys in their mutinous
massacres. I have heard it sung in the presence of Colonel
Browne and of other police functionaries; and from all
who heard its fearful but fictitious details, it elicited the
utmost merriment. I have been informed that in his sub-
sequent viceroyalty, Lord Carlisle and his Chief Secretary

360 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

had it frequently sung by the author, who is now con-
nected with the Dublin police in an important professional
capacity.

THE COOK STREET PRINTER.

Shortly after the affair between the collegians and the
police, a complaint preferred by the Crown solicitor was
brought under my personal cognizance, and subsequently
became the subject of a lyric production, in which it was
almost impossible to determine whether exaggeration or
fiction predominated. There was a printer in Cook Street
remarkable for bodily deformity and mental acerbity. His
trade almost entirely consisted in the publication of bal-
lads, which were bought by itinerant vocalists, who came
each evening to replenish their stocks of amatory, political,
or comic productions. In proportion to the number of
customers who crowded his shop and contended for a
speedy supply, the publisher varied and multiplied his
maledictions, and most impartially cursed and abused
them all alike. His habitual vituperations were disre-
garded or laughed at, and were generally ascribed to
mental infirmity ; but he embarked in a speculation which
brought him under the serious notice of the authorities as
being intolerably offensive. He published an almanac,
the marginal notes and memoranda of which were replete
with sedition, and in which the public functionaries were
grossly stigmatised. It happened that the corporation
had effected a contract with the proprietor of a quarry in
Wales for the the supply of stone of a quality considered
best adapted . for the repair of the streets of Dublin, and
the day on which the contract had been accepted by the
civic body was noted in the almanac as the date of an in-
famous preference of foreign production, and an exclusion

The Cook Street Printer. 361

of Irish industry and material through corrupt and debas-
ing motives. This statement, however, constituted no
portion whatever of the charges preferred before me, which
consisted almost entirely of references to former attempts
of a rebellious character, with expressions of deep regret
for their failure, and hopes that the patriotic energies of
the Irish nation would, in the next encounter, prove more
effective in crushing Saxon despotism than had been the
efforts of the glorious Sarsfield, the noble Lord Edward, the
martyred Emmett, or the more recent champions of
Hibernian freedom — O'Brien, Meagher, and Mitchell.
Colonel Browne was not even aware of the proceedings
before me having been instituted; and Mr. Whiteside,
the present Chief Justice, was never concerned in any case
before me during my tenure of magisterial office. The
printer of the almanac appeared on a summons to show
cause why informations should not be taken against him,
and returned for trial on numerous and deliberate seditious
statements published by him. The late Mr. John Adye
Curran appeared as his counsel, and proposed to give
sureties for his client's appearance to meet the charges pre-
ferred, if the Crown solicitor deemed it necessary to con-
tinue the prosecution, offering also to give up all copies
of the almanac remaining in stock, and to abandon its
future publication. The Crown solicitor, Mr. Kemmis,
at once acceded to this proposal, and, on the sureties hav-
ing been produced, I allowed the accused party to leave,
and entered in the summons7book that the complaint was
''dismissed without prejudice." I did not manifest the
slightest sympathy for the delinquent, but informed him
that he owed his escape from severe punishment en-
tirely to the lenity of the Crown solicitor, and not
to any disinclination on my part to have him made

362 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

seriously and severely responsible for his misconduct In
a few days he became the subject of a lyric panegyric, in
which his prosecution was attributed to Colonel Browne
and Mr. Whiteside, and the stoppage of the proceedings
was ascribed to me and to Mr. Curran ; the course adopted
by the latter gentleman being the only thread of truth in-
terwoven in a web of fiction, and sung to an old Irish air,
which I am not able to particularise. It has been entitled
by an additional fiction —

THE LOWER CASTLE YARD.

You gallant-hearted Irishmen,

Come listen to my lay,
The melancholy muse I woo,

She comes in tears to-day.
Oh Wirra ! Wirrasthrue, says she,

Sure Dublin's noblest bard
Is took before his tyrants

In the Lower Castle Yard.

In Cook Street was our Printer born,

In Cook Street he was bred,
The legends of Hibernians land

His young ideas fed,
How Brian Boru and Gran yah too,

Did Saxons disregard.
And the flag of green once waved serene

In the Upper Castle Yard.

His first animadversions

Were on the paving stones,
Why should you send your cash to Wales,

To Taffy or to Jones ?
Why not lay down, throughout the town,

Your Irish granite hard ?
And macadamize the dirty spies

In the Lower Castle Yard ?

The Cook Street Printer. 363

Colonel Browne, he being a Welshman,

Swore by St. David's bones
He 'd prosecute the Irishman

Who dare oppose their stones.
He order'd Whiteside to indict

And carcerate the Bard ;
Let him try, says he, Geology,

In the Lower Castle Yard.

But good luck to Frank Thorpe Porter,

That expounder of the laws,
Likewise to Adye Curran,

Who was counsel in the cause.
They tann'd the hide of long Whiteside,

And did him disregard,
And freed our Printer from his fangs,

In the Lower Castle Yard.

A QUESTION AND ANSWER.

I was occasionally sent for by the Chief Secretary of the
Lord Lieutenant in reference to matters of a local nature
on which it was desirable to obtain prompt and confi-
dential information. I cannot say that any of those
functionaries ever applied to me on a subject which I con-
sidered very important, and T was never informed what
was the ultimate object of the inquiry. I believe that in
several instances the wish was to acquire some topics or
materials for replies to deputations. It was intimated to
me, in 1853, one day about two o'clock, that the Chief
Secretary desired to see me immediately, and I accordingly
proceeded to his office. He said that he wished to know
whether the trade and commerce of Dublin was in a state of
healthy progress, or of retrogression as compared with the
two previous years. I told him that the files of the
Dublin Gazette would enable him fully to ascertain the
increase or decrease of bankruptcies within the city in the

364 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

last year compared with any recent period, and that the
Imports and Exports published under the sanction of .the
Customs authorities could be easily procured and examined.
He declined to adopt the course I suggested as being
complex, and requiring too much time to ascertain its
results; and he then said that he wished me to come on the
next day and tell him whether I believed that the general
trade and commerce of Dublin were in a better or worse
state during the past twelve months than they had been
for the two previous years. I attended at the time
appointed, and expressed a most decided opinion that the
trading community had been far more prosperous in the
latter period, and that I believed their business was one
half greater than it had been during the terms with which
it was to be compared. The Right Honorable functionary
asked me when I had arrived at such a conclusion ; to
which I simply answered that my opinion had been formed
since our last interview. I was then interrogated as to
what documents I had examined, or what class of traders
I had consulted, to which I replied that I had read nothing
on the subject, and had spoken to a few traders merely as
to certain commodities in which I was aware that they
dealt. I was asked what commodities I meant, and the
Secretary seemed rather surprised when I mentioned coarse
papers and packing cordage, in which articles I was
informed that they were doing an increased and increasing
traffic. I added that when there was a brisk demand for
such materials it denoted that the sale of shop goods must
be also brisk, just as extensive purchases of seeds, manures,
or tillage implements, would iudicate greater activity in
agricultural or horticultural pursuits. A young gentleman,
who acted as private or confidential secretary to the Chief
Secretary, was present when I expressed such opinions

A Question and Answer. 365

and my reason for their adoption, and when his principal
indulged in a laugh which was, perhaps, somewhat derisive
of the importance I ascribed to wrapping papers and
twine, he amply participated in the merriment. I then
said that I might possibly augment their amusement by
imparting the result of another inquiry which I had made,
and which tended to confirm my previous statements. I
had been informed, in almost all the pre-eminent musical
establishments, that there had been a considerable increase
in the sale of pianofortes, and 1 felt perfectly convinced
that a pianoforte was very rarely purchased by a person in
embarrassed circumstances, whilst it was almost invariably
considered a desirable addition to the domestic recreation
of a comfortable and solvent family. This statement pro-
duced more laughter, and as the interview was not of a
secret nature, my references to wrapping-paper, twine, and
pianofortes, became sufficiently known to obtain for me a
considerable amount of banter. The Secretary subse-
quently told me that several other persons whom he con-
sulted gave him opinions similar to mine on the com-
mercial state of Dublin, although their calculations and
inferences were derived from very different sources. I
still entertain the impression that the grounds on which
I formed my conclusion were by no means unworthy of
consideration.

A BARRISTER.

In some of the preceding pages I have mentioned several
attorneys whose professional avocations were extensively
connected with the police-courts, and whose conduct and
character entitled them to our esteem and respect. Whilst
they would endeavour to induce the magistrates to adopt
the construction of a statute or by-law in the sense most
favorable to their clients, they sedulously avoided the

366 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

suppression or exaggeration of facts when seeking a miti-
gation of punishment, or applying for the acceptance of
bail. There were, however, two or three professional men
who occasionally subjected us to the very disagreeable, per-
haps I may say the disgusting, duty of listening to state-
ments subsequently ascertained to be totally false, and which
they were undoubtedly aware of being unfounded. One
gentleman, who was a member of my own profession, had
a wonderful aptitude for citing cases purporting to have
been decided in the English courts, and in complete
accordance with the course which he was desirous we
should pursue. We soon found that many of those cases
were suppositious, and many others distorted and misre-
presented. Our chief clerk, Mr. Cox, having assisted on
a particular occasion in detecting several misquotations,
observed, that if the learned counsel ever attained to the
peerage, his most appropriate title would be Lord Phibs-
borough.*

AN ATTORNEY.

There was another practitioner, an attorney, who was
known by the nickname of €t Bluebottle," inasmuch as
his tendency was to taint whatever he touched, and to
evince a preference for garbage. He happened to be pre-
sent on one occasion, when a man and woman were
charged before me " for creating a disturbance in Dame
Street, and using abusive, insulting, and threatening lan-
guage on the public thoroughfare." The woman stated
that the man was her husband : that he was in comfortable
circumstances, but left her in destitution, and refused to
contribute to her support. She produced a marriage cer-
tificate and various other documents in support of her

* A suburb of Dublin, pronounced yft/borough.

An Attorney. 367

allegation, and I discharged the parties, with a caution
against ventilating their domestic wrongs or differences in
the public streets, suggesting to the female, that if she
obtained admission to the South Union Workhouse as a
destitute pauper, the guardians would make her- husband
responsible for deserting her, and rendering her a charge
upon the rates. As her excitement and volubility appeared
likely to create more disturbance, if she and her husband
went forth together, I directed her to leave at once, and
suggested, on her departure, that the man might remain
until she had left the court and its vicinity. When she
went out, she was followed by Bluebottle, who accosted
her at the foot of the stairs, and told her that he would
take immediate steps to compel her husband to afford her
a suitable maintenance. Affecting to sympathise deeply
with a destitute and friendless female, he induced her to
give him all her documents, and also a small photographic
picture, in which she and her husband appeared holding
each other by the right hand. He then desired her to go
away, promising to meet her at the Lord Mayor's court
on the following day. This conversation and arrangement
occurred very close to the door of the custody-room, and
was fully overheard by the. constable in charge, of whose
proximity the ardent vindicator of the poor woman's
wrongs had no knowledge or suspicion. When she
departed, Bluebottle stepped up to the court, and beckoned
to the husband, whom he brought to the precise spot
where the previous conference had occurred. He then
told him that he had obtained all the woman's papers, the
certificate, and the picture, and that he was willing to give
him a great bargain of the entire for one pound. The
man declared that all the cash in his possession amounted
only to twelve shillings and sixpence, which he was will-

368 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

ing to pay for the articles. Bluebottle agreed to take the
latter sum, and received-it, but before he delivered the picture
and documents, the constable emerged from the vestibule
of the custody-room and arrested him. He was brought
immediately before me in his genuine name of Richard
Walsh, and I had to decide whether the certificate, pic-
ture, and letters he was about to dispose of, brought him
under a culpable liability. The 53rd section of the 5th
Vic, sess. 2, chap. 24, enacts —

" That every person who shall be brought before any of the divisional
justices, charged with having in his possession, or on his premises, with his
knowledge, or conveying in any manner anything which may be reasonably
suspected to be stolen or unlawfully obtained, and who shall not give an
account to the satisfaction of such justice how he came by the same, shall
be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction thereof before such
justice or justices, shall be liable to a penalty not more than five pounds,
or in the discretion of the justice, may be imprisoned in any gaol or house
of correction within the police district, with or without hard labour, for
any time not exceeding two calendar months."

On the facts as proved before me, I made the picture
and the certificate the subjects of a conviction for unlawful
possession, and sent Mr. Walsh for two months to the
Richmond Bridewell, to be kept during that time at hard
labor. I declined to make any order for returning the
twelve shillings and sixpence to the man from whom it
had been received, whose name, as well as 1 can recollect,
was Crozier ; but his wife was put in possession of the
articles which she had entrusted to the treacherous
attorney. I believe that he was the only member of his
profession on whom, since the commencement of the pre-
sent century, a criminal conviction inflicted a disgraceful
punishment in the metropolitan district. He was inclined
to corpulence, and had a very plethoric appearance. In a

Gibraltar. 369

few days after his committal, I received a note from the
governor of the prison in the following terms : —

"Sir,

" In reference to the case of Richard Walsh, committed by you for
two months, with hard labour, I beg leave to report that the medical
officers of the prison think it would be dangerous to work a person of his
age and full habit of body on the treadmill. I believe, however, that I
can make him perfectly available as an oakum-picker. I have the honor,
&c, &c."

This communication was entered in the official letter-
book of the police-court, and consequently became gene-
rally known. The delinquent was a person of extreme
effrontery, and the members of his profession considered
him to be habitually supercilious and offensive. When
the term of his punishment was completed, he had the
almost incredible audacity to attempt to resume practice
in the criminal courts. None of the other attorneys would
act or associate with him, and his presence always pro-
duced complaints against the " very disagreeable smell of
oakum." He died, as I have been informed, uncom-
miserated and unaided, in extreme indigence. From the
incidents which I have narrated, a lesson may be derived
to the effect, that the man who disgraces a profession will
soon render his pursuit of it thoroughly unprofitable.

GIBRALTAR.

My official reminiscences are nearly terminated. The
latter years of my magistracy were not marked by any
important public events or political excitement. In 1861
my health became seriously impaired, and a medical com-
mission of six members reported in favor of my super-
annuation. My dear friend, Marcus Costello, the attorney-
general of Gibraltar, having been apprised that I had been

2 B

370 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

greatly debilitated by bronchitis and pleurisy, sent me a
brief note to go out at once, and to say by return of post
when he might expect me. In compliance with his invi-
tation, I sailed from Southampton on the 27th of April,
in the Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer,
" Delta," and on the 29th we were crossing the Bay of
Biscay. My memory reverted to a ballad which I had
heard sung by lncledon, descriptive of the fearfully tern-
pestuous state in which that bay is generally found. One
of his verses is, I believe, as follows : —

" Loud roar'd the dreadful thunder.
The rain a deluge show'rs,
The clouds were rent asunder
By lightning's vivid pow'rs.
The night all drear and dark,
Closed round our wretched bark,
As she lay, on that day,

In the Bay of Biscay, O !"

I presume to attempt a description of what I observed
in crossing this estuary ; and I can truly affirm, that what-
ever may be the defects of my composition, it does not
contain the slightest exaggeration —

*' The light-blue sky is o'er us,
The dark-blue sea beneath,
The wave scarce moves before us,

As zephyrs gently breathe.
The great unfathom'd deep,
Calm as an infant's sleep,
Cheers our way, on this day,

Through the Bay of Biscay, O !

" The mighty steam-ship cleaving
The tide, displays her powt,
The wondrous feat achieving

Of fifteen knots an hour;
We speedily shall gain
A sight of sunny Spain.
No delay checks our way

Through the Bay of Biscay, O !"

Gibraltar. 371

When we did attain sight of the Spanish coast, it afforded
a very marked contrast to the picturesque views presented
by the shores of Ireland and England. There were no
towering and precipitous cliffs or verdant slopes to be seen,
and almost the only indications of the country being
inhabited were some watch-towers from which in former
days warning signals were exhibited to denote the approach
of hostile or predatory vessels from Algiers or Barbary.
Being totally unacquainted with Transatlantic and Medi-
terranean scenery, I can exercise a very limited judgment,
but of all the marine views I have seen I consider the most
beautiful to be the bayaof Dublin, and the ugliest to be the
far-famed Trafalgar.

I landed at Gibraltar on the 2nd of May, and was not
inclined, at my arrival, to form a very favorable opinion of
the climate, for I never had previously seen such heavy
rain as fell on that day and continued until midnight.
Mr. Cpstello's man-servant, hearing me remark the un-
pleasant state of the weather, said, " that it was the last
rain of the season, and that we should have no more until
the middle of September." I did not attach much credence
to his statement, but, although my visit lasted for four
months, I never saw another drop of rain there. He was
a native of the place, and spoke from experience.

My friend's residence was not far from the southern
extremity of Gibraltar, which is also supposed to be the
southern extremity of Europe, and there were three roads
leading from it to the main body of the city which is near
the north front. They were constructed, I suppose, for
the purpose of affording the most ample means of com-
munication along the sloping face of the mountain, and
between the batteries which defiantly bristle all through
the territory. On the second day of my arrival, I set out

372 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

to walk to the town, and, for the sake of the view which
it commanded, I took the most elevated road. There
were no dwellings on it, and it went through an exhausted
quarry, to which the drummers and bugle boys were
brought for instruction. A sqiiad of them were about to
commence their practice just as I passed their front,
whereupon one of them lowered his instrument, and ex-
claimed to a comrade, "Oh! Fitzpatrick, there's ould Porter
from Dublin." On reaching the city I was recognised by
some officers of the 7th Fusileers. Indeed I am disposed
to believe that a considerable number of the private soldiers
of the garrison had been attested by me in the Dublin
police-court, for I received frequent salutes whenever I
sauntered past the barracks or guard stations.

My health rapidly improved, and in a few days I
attained renovated strength. There was no lack of varied
amusement or social enjoyment, and until the intense heat
of July and August precluded any movement outside the
house, between morning and evening, I never passed a
tedious or tiresome minute. Even in the hot time,
especially if the wind is westerly, an evening saunter along
the low road and through the Alameda is very agreeable.
The people, especially those of the Spanish race, rise about
four or five o'clock in the morning during the sultry
months. They go to market and attend to their com-
mercial arrangements and domestic affairs until nine or
ten o'clock, then, having breakfasted, they betake them-
selves to bed and enjoy a " Siesta." I adopted the same
course as far as the retirement to bed was concerned, and
found it extremely pleasant. I went to sleep almost
immediately after lying down, and seldom awoke until
four or five o'clock. Then walking slowly down to the
bay I took a plunge in the salt water, and generally

Gibraltar. 373

returned endowed with an appetite for a hearty dinner and
a libera] supplement of sherry and ice, after which a stroll
to the Alameda and a seat under the cool shade of an
acacia or bella sombra tree, with a military band playing
on an adjoining bastion, enabled me and my friend to pass
the evening in good humour with the world and with each
other.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

GIBRALTAR,— Continued.

The road by which Gibraltar is approached from Spain
is, for a considerable distance, completely level. The con-
necting isthmus is flanked by the bay and the Mediter-
ranean, and the latter has been admitted, in the English
territory, into extensive and deep excavations, which con-
fine the means of access to a very narrow breadth. The
face of the fortress on this side displays a stupendous
and precipitous formation, in which galleries have been
constructed, from the embrasures of which a fire of heavy
artillery can be directed, sufficient, as I was informed by
an officer of engineers, not only to annihilate a hostile
force, but to destroy the avenue itself, whilst the occupants
of those batteries would be almost completely exempt
from retaliatory casualities. On entering the gate on the
north front, a battery of about forty guns is passed, and
it is known by the unpalatable designation of " The Devil's
Tongue." Close to it, and forming part of the city, are
two districts, of which one is named Portuguese town and
the other, Irish town. I endeavoured to ascertain the
origin of the Hibernian term for the latter locality, but
my inquiries failed to elicit any information, beyond the
fact of the name having existed for the place previous to

Gibraltar. 375

the capture of the fortress by the British in 1704. The
residence of the Governor was in former times occupied
by a religious community, and it retains the appellation
of " The Convent." A stranger is occasionally surprised
by hearing that the Governor's lady has given a splendid
ball, or that his Excellency has entertained a number of
distinguished persons at the Convent. The gardens com-
mand a delightful view of the bay, and are remarkable for
large bushes of myrtles and roses, beautiful fuchsias, and
geraniums, whilst the finest grapes, figs, pomegranates,
peaches, apricots, and melons are profusely produced with-
out requiring artificial heat or the protection of glass. The
climate is too hot for the growth of apples, pears, goose-
berries, currants, or raspberries. Oranges are very abun-
dant, but are not palatable when gathered from the tree,
as they are all of the Seville or bitter kind, and are used
for making marmalade, which is highly valued in the sultry
months when butter is unattainable.

Although this interesting and impregnable possession
is so generally termed The Rock of Gibraltar, there is a
considerable portion of its surface highly capable of cul-
tivation. The most prevalent weeds are the nasturtium,
snapdragon, and convolvulus ; and there is an indigenous
pea, the blossom of which is exquisitely beautiful in appear-
ance, but completely scentless. At the termination of
the rainy season, a plant springs up in great profusion
in the ravines and watercourses. It is about a foot in
height, and the blossoms are very pretty, some of the plants
bearing white flowers, some red, and others blue. The
Spaniards call it "Don Pedro," and the English have
named it €t Four o'clock." The petals open about that hour
in the afternoon, and the blossoms continue expanded, and
diffusing a delightful fragrance until day-break, when they

376 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

invariably close up. The Spanish name is derived from a
fable, which describes Don Pedro to have been a confirmed
rake, who slept all the day and spent the night in revelling,
until an indignant fairy transformed him into a plant,
which retains his habit.

The east side of Gibraltar is washed by the Mediter-
ranean, and there are very few guns mounted along that
line, of which four-fifths are totally inaccessible. The
signal station is at the summit of the mountain, and from
the parapet wall, beside the flagstaff, a pebble can be
dropped into the water with a direct fall of fourteen
hundred and ninety-four feet. The rock formation on the
entire territory is exclusively limestone, and I broke off
some of it at the station, and found it a complete mass
of concrete shells, whereby it is manifestly proved that
the mountain must have been originally in a submarine
position. The strait between it and Barbary is more than
fourteen miles in breadth, and I was informed that the
depth of water midway was three thousand six hundred
feet.

Snakes and lizards are frequently seen in the Alameda,
' in private enclosures, and in the cemeteries. I was assured,
however, that none of the former were of a venomous
character, and I caught several with the utmost impunity.
The lizards are almost all of a bright green color, and do
not exceed a foot in length. The shape is precisely the
same as that of an alligator. Monkeys were formerly
rather numerous, but they have become almost extinct.
Some of the oldest residents told me that thev had never
seen one. During my sojourn, the place was twice visited
by flights of quail from Africa, suddenly coming in my-
riads, and as suddenly departing.

There is a cemetery just outside the city at a place called

Gibraltar. 377

the " Ragged Staff." I could not ascertain how that name
originated, but the cemetery is remarkable for a considerable
number of tombstones placed over the remains of persons
who died at Gibraltar from the effects of wounds received
at Trafalgar. Each inscription commences with " Sacred
to the memory of ," and it then proceeds to enume-
rate the virtues, personal merits, and intrepid deeds of the
deceased. I remarked one stone placed upon the grave of
James Dudley, by the direction and at the expense of his
shipmates, who valued him highly for his kind and gene-
rous disposition, and for his undaunted courage in the
closest and fiercest conflicts, as he always evinced great
skill and deep penetration. It then states that he died of
wounds received in the battle off Cape Trafalgar, where
he acted as master gunner of His Majesty's ship, Colossus.
I thought on reading this inscription, that " deep penetra-
tion" was a very natural attribute for the gunner of a line-
of-battle ship.

In the beginning of July, i86t, a brig from America,
bound for Gibraltar, and laden with ice, got ashore in a
fog near Cape Spartell, on the Barbary coast, and just at
the entrance of the straits. A Moorish boat brought
speedy news of this disaster, and the Redpole steamer
was ordered to proceed to the assistance of the stranded
vessel. I requested the naval superintendent, the late
Admiral Warden, to allow me to go over to the place in
the " Redpole/' to enjoy the novelty of the trip, and see
the intended operations. He most kindly complied, and
the officer in command provided me with a comfortable
berth, and treated me with great hospitality. We found
the brig aground, but uninjured ; and when a few tons of
her cargo were removed she floated, and was towed by the
steamer to her destination. Several Moors came on

378 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

board, and assisted in lightening the vessel for a trifling
remuneration; and they afforded very great amusement
by their gestures and exclamations, their expressions being
interpreted by a Tangierine lad, who was employed in the
steamer. They had never seen ice previously, and were
inclined to believe it a supernatural or magical production.
They were astonished at the coldness and hardness of the
glassy blocks, and at their rapid dissolution when exposed
to the rays of a Mauritanian sun; but they were very
soon reconciled to the magical material, and seemed to
appreciate highly the introduction of it to some sherbet
and lemonade with which they were regaled, steadfastly
declining any stronger potations.

During my visit to Gibraltar, I went to see bull-fights
at Algesiras, San Roque, and Malaga. They are certainly
national institutions, which I firmly believe could not be
abolished or avowedly discouraged in Spain by any govern-
ment, although their tendency is most undeniably deba-
sing and brutalising. At the time to which my narrative
refers, the bulls throughout nearly the whole province of
Andalusia were procured from the domains of a very
wealthy widow, whose name has escaped my memory.
She generally attended the exhibitions in which the wild
ferocity of her animals was considered a most desirable
quality, and always received an enthusiastic welcome,
even the most exalted and fairest of her own sex joining
in the exclamation of " Viva la Viuda." (Long live the
widow.)

At Algesiras I saw a bull in the Circo that evinced no
fierceness or combative inclination. The poor brute tried
to avoid his assailants, and to push back the door through
which he had entered. His quietude excited the utmost
indignation, and even the females joined in the cry of

Gibraltar. 379

"Fuego!" (Fire.) Accordingly, darts were thrown at
the animal, in each of which, close to the barbed point,
there was a charge of gunpowder, connected in the interior
of the weapon with a lighted fuse. When some of these
charges exploded in his flesh, he became completely
maddened, to the great gratification of the spectators, -by
whom, I have no doubt, the death of even a human victim
occasionally, would be regarded as an exciting and interest-
ing addition to their amusement.

The attire of the mounted combatants at the bull-fights
appeared to me to be far more gaudy than graceful. Their
limbs, below the hips, were $0 thickly padded as to look
as large as the upper portions of their persons ; and in
their encounters they did not ride rapidly forward, but
merely opposed the lance to the onset of the bull. In
each of eighteen collisions which I witnessed, the horse
was frightfully gored and destroyed, his rider being saved
by the matadores throwing their scarlet cloaks over the
eyes of the bull, and plunging their swords to the hilt in
his neck, so as to reach the spine. I am now tempted to
quote a few lines from the first canto of " Childe Harold's
Pilgrimage/' to which I shall subjoin an observation,
from which it will appear that what I saw differed vastly in
one respect from the glowing description extracted from
Byron's romantic production —

" Hush'd is the din of tongues — on gallant steeds,

With milk-white crest, gold spurs, and light-poised lance,

Four cavaliers prepare for venturous deeds,
And lowly bending, to the lists advance ;

Rich are their scarfs, their chargers featly prance:
If in the dangerous game they shine to-day,

The crowd's loud shout and ladies' lovely glance,
Best prize of better acts, they bear away,
And all that kings or chiefs e'er gain their toils repay."

380 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

Of the eighteen " gallant steeds " which I saw at the
bull-fights, there was not one to which I would attach the
value of five pounds. None of them essayed to u prance/'
and unquestionably if a horse equal to the best of them
appeared on the streets of Dublin between the shafts of a
hackney vehicle, his owner would incur the suspension of
his license for plying a horse totally unfit for public
accommodation.

The most picturesque assemblage that I ever beheld
was the public market at Gibraltar on Sunday morning.
Persons of the lower class in the parts of Spain which I
visited, are, during the week-days, as poorly attired as any
that can be found in a corresponding position in the towns
of Ireland, but they are invariably provided with a suit
specially reserved for Sundays and two or three festivals.
The men have conical hats, round which rows of showy rib-
bons are twined; and their coats, waistcoats, and small
clothes, of whatever colors they fancy, are profusely fur-
nished with globular little buttons of bright metal. Sandals,
shoes, or buskins display gilt or silvered fastenings. Gay
neckties, and a brooch or chain, complete the holiday cos-
tume. I am not competent to describe the female attire, but
it comprises a head-dress of lace, fastened with glittering
clasps or buckles ; boots or shoes gaily ornamented ; and
a gown of rich material, almost invariably encircled at the
waist by a girdle of metallic tissue. Ornaments of gold
and jewels, or their semblance, appear in abundance.
From a thousand to fifteen hundred such persons may be
seen at the market on Sundays, between five and six
o'clock in the morning. Females of various ranks, wives
or daughters of persons in the garrison, appear arrayed in
their best attire. Boats from Tangier and Oran land their
produce, to be disposed of by dealers wearing Moorish or

Gibraltar. 381

Arabic costumes. Sailors from the ships of war and
artillerymen mingle their blue uniforms amongst the
scarlet-clad regimental soldiers. A similar scene cannot
be exhibited in any part of the United Kingdom ; and the
diversity of attire is fully equalled by the diversity of
language which is there to be heard.

Towards the end of May, 1861, the assizes for the city
and territory of Gibraltar were held, and at their conclu-
sion, the judge, Sir James Cochrane, asked leave of
absence for two months, and I was appointed as his
locum tenens for that time. I received several official
documents incident to the position, and amongst them
was the commission of a Justice of the Peace, which was
not a temporary authority, and it is still in my possession.
I am, perhaps, the only person in Ireland whose designa-
tion of J. P. is unconnected with any locality in the United
Kingdom. My judicial duties consisted in hearing a few
petitions from insolvents seeking discharges from impri-
sonment, and granting two or three fiats under an Admi-
ralty jurisdiction, in reference to alleged collisions between
vessels in the bay. Although my authority was of very
brief duration, it imparted, during its continuance, rank next
to that of the Governor. It devolved on me, accompanied by
his Excellency's principal aid-de-camp, to wait on the pre-
sent Empress of Austria, who arrived at Gibraltar in the
royal yacht, "Victoria and Albert, " on her way home
from Madeira, where she had been staying for some time
to renovate her health. I never beheld a woman of more
prepossessing appearance, and I considered her deport-
ment perfectly dignified, but also extremely courteous.
She accepted the Governor's invitation to a dejeuner at
the convent, but premised, that as she was returning to
her family, happily free from any indisposition, she was

382 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

desirous of first visiting the Catholic cathedral, to return
thanks to the Almighty for the merciful manifestation
which she had experienced. Accordingly, the streets were
lined by the troops, and royal salutes from the principal
batteries greeted her landing, and attended her return to
the steamer, after the coaling and other preparations for
continuing the voyage to Trieste had been accomplished.

On one of many occasions that I had the honor
and pleasure of enjoying the hospitality of the Governor,
Sir William Coddrington, I sat next to the officer who
commanded a Portuguese frigate, "The Braganza," that
anchored for a few days at the New Mole. He was one
of the Royal family of Portugal, and bore the title of Duke
of Oporto. His Royal Highness spoke English tolerably
well ; and having heard me mention Dublin as my
native place, asked me numerous questions respecting Ire-
land and the Irish. I suggested to him that he might
induce his Government to let him have a cruise to our
shores, that some of our bays were very beautiful, and
that a run from Cork to Killarney would not require much
time to accomplish, whilst it would assuredly afford him
great gratification. At the close of our conversation, he
said, " Sir, if you should at any time visit Lisbon, if I
shall be there, I hope that you will call on me : I shall
be happy to see you, and to endeavour to make the place
agreeable to you." I expressed my warm thanks for his
courteous expression, but I have not availed myself of his
kindness, nor have I any intention to do so. He is now
King of Portugal ; but at the time when I had the honor
of sitting beside him, there were, I believe, three members
of his family whose respective claims to the throne were
prior to his.

On a Saturday afternoon, in the beginning of July, 1861,

Gibraltar. 383

I was passing through the hall at the Governor's residence,
on my way to the garden to which I was allowed the full-
est access. The windows were all open ; and groups of
persons, including the Governor and some members of his
family, were sitting beneath the trees, but within hearing
of any expressions uttered in an ordinary tone in the hall.
A naval captain, in full uniform, hastily entered from the
street, and said to the servants in attendance, " Let the
Governor be immediately informed that Captain Jones
has brought The Scourge for Aim." On hearing this an-
nouncement, I exclaimed, t€ Good heavens ! What has he
done to deserve that ? " This occasioned some laughter,
in which, I believe, his Excellency participated. The
Scourge was not unexpected, and its arrival was very
satisfactory. On the 25th of the previous month, the
present Sultan of the Ottoman Empire* had commenced
his reign ; and Sir William Coddrington, having been the
Commander-in-Chief of our army at the conclusion of the
Crimean war, was very judiciously selected to proceed in
the Scourge steamer to Constantinople, for the purpose of
presenting Queen Victoria's letter of congratulation on his
accession, to the Turkish monarch. His Excellency left
Gibraltar on his mission in two or three hours after Cap-
tain Jones' arrival, and a Lieutenant-Governor, Colonel
Stehelin, of the Engineers, was sworn into office by me on
the following Wednesday ; but in the interim, my posi-
tion, as acting judge, gave me precedence of all other
functionaries, civil or military, in the territory. If I had
been told, before leaving home, that such an elevation,
even for a few hours, would occur, I should have deemed
it incredible.

About the beginning of August, 1861, two vessels of
the Russian Imperial navy, a frigate and a corvette, both

384 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

steamers, came into Gibraltar, and anchored for the pur-
pose of coaling. A considerable portion of their crews
were indulged by their commanding officers with leave to
come ashore ; and certainly they could not have landed at
any place more likely to excite surprise and gratify curiosity
during a ramble of a few hours through it. However, they
did not evince any anxiety for a close inspection of the
fortress, or how its natural formation and elaborate con-
structions imparted unrivalled strength. Potency of a far
different description engrossed their attention. They pro-
ceeded to some taverns or public-houses near to the boat-
wharf, and only a few entered the premises, whilst the
others remained in groups under trees or shaded by the
walls. In less than an hour they were all drunk, and
many of them were lying on the thoroughfare in the most
helpless state of complete intoxication. The scene of their
unrestrained indulgence was about one hundred yards
from the residence of my friend, and the windows of his
drawing-room, from which I had a full view of them, were
all open. If I had been only half as far from them, with-
out having them in sight, I should never have noticed
their total lapse from sobriety, for there was no shouting,
or singing, or quarrelling ; in fact, their intoxication was
a silent enjoyment, and formed a most thorough contrast
to that of every liquor-loving group that ever came under
my observation on any other occasions. They were taken
down to their boats by parties of their shipmates who were
on duty, and consequently constrained to keep sober.

I believe that the population of Gibraltar, in 1861, was
about 16,000 persons, exclusive of the officials and mili-
tary. The Christian portion consisted of Roman Catho-
lics, Protestants, and Presbyterians. There was a consi-
derable number of Jews, amongst whom several were

Gibraltar. 385

reputed to be extremely wealthy, and there were some resi-
dent Mahometans. It might be supposed that in such a
mixed community, religious bickering and polemical acer-
bity would be sometimes manifested, but my own obser-
vation, and the deliberate statements of all those with
whom I associated or communicated, enable me to express
my decided conviction that the place was as free from
religious animosity or controversial skirmishing as Ireland
is from toads or snakes. I have seen the funerals of per-
sons belonging respectively to the various religious deno-
minations; and although the covering of the hearse or
bier, the presence of priestly functionaries in sacerdotal
costume, or the direction in which the procession was
moving, indicated the religion which the deceased had pro-
fessed, all those who met it on the way to the cemetery,
stood with uncovered heads as the corpse passed them,
and offered to those engaged in the mournful ceremony a
courteous but tacit mark of sympathy and respect.

Although Gibraltar has been deliberately recognised
and acknowledged to be British territory by the Spanish
government, prominent members of political parties have
repeatedly advocated a demand for its restoration to Spain,
and there have been some Englishmen who expressed
opinions of a similar tendency. Alfonso, who has recently
been elevated to regal dignity in Madrid, introduced the
subject in his address on assuming the sovereignty ; and
we may expect, if his realm becomes completely subject
to his rule, and ceases to be the theatre of sanguinary in-
testine encounters, that a claim will be addressed to the
British government for the cession of a fortress which
was tremendously strong when it was captured, and has
been, by consummate skill, and a profuse expenditure,
rendered completely impregnable. A prompt and direct

2C

386 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

refusal will, I have no doubt, be the reply to all demands
or requests for the transfer of this important possession ;
but I feel perfectly convinced that a British minister might
safely refer the application to the decision of the inhabi-
tants, the great majority of whom have been born in the
place, and are, to all intents and purposes, British subjects.
I do not think it possible for a population to be more
attached to any government than they are to our rule ;
and if Spanish agents were permitted to canvass them,
and proceeded to solicit their adhesion, they would find
their mission replete with danger. In i86r, being one
day in the shop of a bootmaker, named Finochio, I amused
myself by pretending to argue with my friend, Dr. Williams,
in the presence of some native residents, that the territory
was really Spanish, and that it should be relinquished by
England. I was greatly surprised, and in some degree
alarmed, at the effect produced by my observations on the
hearers. Finochio rushed impetuously to the door of his
shop, which commanded a view of the signal-station, on
which the British flag was displayed, and pointing to it
he exclaimed, " I would rather endure to be bombarded
or famished — I would rather see the whole town burned
to ashes, than have that flag changed for any other. Let
me tell you, sir, that if you talk to the people here about
England giving them up to Spain, some of them will lose
temper and insult you." The others approved fully of
Finochio's observations. However, it is not difficult to
ascertain the grounds and reasons for such attachment
on the part of the native population. Their tenements
are almost entirely held directly from the Crown; and
although the leases are not in general granted for a longer
period than twenty-one years, the rents are very seldom
raised, or a renewal refused at the expiration of the term,

Gibraltar. 387

if the tenant has been punctual and improving. Taverns
and hotels are subjected to considerable licence duties, and
there is some charge incident to the importation of spirits.
These are the only taxes which, I believe, are levied in
the territory. Wine, tea, sugar, coffee, tobacco, wearing
apparel, and furniture, or materials for the two latter are
freely admitted. The streets and roads are constructed
by the military, and cleansed by convict labor. The places
of worship are exempt from rents to the Crown, and the
legal institutions are highly appreciated by the people, who
regard the administration of justice, and especially the
trial by jury, according to the laws of England, as forming
a most favorable contrast to the proceedings before the
Spanish tribunals in the cities and towns of Andalusia.
T may add, that in 1861 there was a very extensive trade
in English manufactures and many other productions,
especially tobacco, carried on by smuggling vessels con-
veying contraband cargoes to Spain, Portugal, Italy, and
the Balearic Islands. I believe, that in no part of the
world are there more devoted, although not disinterested,
supporters of English authority than were to be found
navigating their picturesque latteen craft, laden with articles
derived from the factories of Manchester, Leeds, Notting-
ham, or Sheffield.

I have already mentioned several Spanish towns which
I visited for the purpose of seeing bull-fights. I was also
at some fairs ; and although there are some points in the
Spanish character and habitudes which I am far from ad-
miring, I must, in justice to the people who came under
my observation, state that I never saw one of them in-
toxicated, although wine and spirits are, in their country,
to be had for less than half what they cost here. Some
gentlemen at Gibraltar, who had travelled through Spain,

388 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

told me that they believed there was more drunkenness in
our small possession than in the entire kingdom. I never
saw a Spanish person of respectable appearance, drink a
glass of undiluted sherry. The addition of cold water in
equal quantity seemed indispensable. I have seen mule-
teers setting out on a journey requiring an entire day for
its completion, and they carried no animal food. Each
man had a bottle containing a little more than a pint of a
red wine called Priorato, a couple of onions, and a large
roll of bread made of two-thirds of maize, ground fine,
and one-third of wheaten flour. They consider onions
and bread, sliced and eaten together, as very nutritive diet,
and their strong and healthful appearance justifies their
opinion. The Priorato wine has a taste somewhat resem-
bling Port, but I was forbidden by medical authority to
take it at all, and I was told that the berries of the elder
tree were plentifully added to the grapes in its manu-
facture.

Spaniards of the humbler class and of either sex, who
bring edible commodities for sale in Gibraltar, demand a
much higher price from any person whom they believe to
have just arrived, and not to have acquired a knowledge of
the marketable value of the articles, than they ask of those
whose faces are familiar, or with whom they have had
previous dealings. Nevertheless, they do not manifest
any surprise or indignation at being offered, or any laxity
in accepting, a mere fractional portion of the sum first
mentioned. A milkman demanded two shillings and two
pence for about three pints of goat's milk, which he left
with me on being offered sixpence. A woman sold me
muscatel grapes for a shilling, after having named eight
shillings and eight pence for them. I had an opportunity
of sending home to Dublin some Murcian melons, and

Gibraltar. 389

, proposed to purchase six which had been brought to
' market in a limber kind of basket or net-work neatly
made of rushes. The vendor did not speak English, and
I reciprocated his ignorance of my language by being
equally unacquainted with his vernacular. He managed,
mostly by signs, to apprise me that he required six dollars
for his fruit. I regarded this demand, amounting to
twenty-six shillings, as utterly unreasonable, and relin-
quished all expectation of acquiring a gratifying treat for
my people, when Dr. Williams happened to approach, and
on being informed of my disappointment, became an in-
terpreter and negotiator between the Spaniard and me.
His interference eventuated in rendering me the owner of
the fruit and the basket, in which the melons could be
very conveniently transmitted, at the very reasonable price
of seven shillings. He told me that he had expostulated
with the seller on his attempt to obtain from a purchaser
more than three-fold the fair value of the articles ; but the
Spaniard considered himself fully justified in the course he
had adopted previous to my friend's arrival, inasmuch as
he believed me to be a complete stranger, ignorant of the
language, and of the usual prices demanded for fruits, but
that in any future dealings with me I should not be over-
charged, although he was quite convinced that, like all
other English gentlemen, I was very rich and well able to

pay-

The mention of my friend's name reminds me that in
Gibraltar there is no scarcity of surgeons and physicians
possessing high professional qualifications. The more
respectable classes of society avail themselves, in their
ailments, of the aid which skill and experience can fully
impart. The lower classes seem insensible or indifferent
to the character or capability of those to whom they have

3 go Gleanings and Reminiscences.

recourse, and there are in the territory some practitioners
who profess to repair human hurts or maladies, and also
the injuries of certain inanimate articles. There is an
inscription on the front of a small shop, that I venture
to transcribe, even at the risk of mistaking the exact
spelling of the Spanish words, and I subjoin an English
translation : —

"Barbero, Sanguedor y Sacamuelas,
Se reparen abanicos paraguas y parasoles."

-Barber, bleeder, and tooth-drawer,
Fans, umbrellas, and parasols repaired."

• W>WW

CHAPTER XXIX.

GIBRALTAR (CONTINUED) DEPARTURE FOR HOME

CHARITY, REAL CHARITY A DEATH AND FU-
NERAL— THE BAY OF BISCAY AGAIN AT HOME :

LEISURE NO PLEASURE — A REVIEW.

•

Towards the conclusion of my visit to Gibraltar, a mar-
riage was solemnized between an officer commanding a
frigate lying off the New Mole and a young lady of very
prepossessing appearance who came from England, accom-
panied by her mother and some other relatives. The cere-
mony was performed at the Protestant Church about
eleven o'clock in the forenoon, and an arrangement had
been made that the wedding dejeuner should take place
on board the vessel, after which the happy couple were to
proceed by boat to Algesiras to spend the honeymoon.
The frigate was directly in view of Mr. Costello's resi-
dence, and with the help of a binocular glass I could see
persons on deck as plainly as if I stood amongst them.
As soon as the bridegroom came ashore to proceed to the
church, several boats came from the stairs at the Ragged
Staff, conveying a profuse supply of evergreens and flowers.
These were quickly taken aloft by the crew who swarmed
up, and in a few minutes the masts, yards, and rigging
were festooned with floral decorations, amongst which the

392 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

peculiarly appropriate nuptial ornament, "a wreath el
orange blossoms/1 was conspicuously displayed on each
bow and quarter. The other ships were dressed in the
usual manner, but the frigate appeared pre-eminently beau-
tiful. The reception of the bride and bridegroom and
their cortege was most enthusiastic. I was assured by
several naval officers that the display, which excited the
unqualified admiration of all who witnessed it, was a
spontaneous manifestation on the part of the crew of
their respect and affection for their captain. I regret that
I do not recollect his name, but the feeling evinced towards
him was not the only instance that came under my obser-
vation indicative of great attachment on the part of British
sailors for their commanders.

To the respectable residents of Gibraltar, whether official
or commercial, the place affords many advantages. The
comforts attainable in the cities of the United Kingdom
can be there procured on terms in many respects more
moderate, and in none, as far as I could learn, seriously
greater, whilst many articles of domestic requirement are
vastly cheaper, owing to their importation not being sub-
jected to Customs' duties. The prices of shoes, boots,
and hats appeared to me to be lower than those I should
have to pay in Dublin for a similar description and quality
of goods. Woollen, linen, and cotton fabrics are some-
what dearer than here, and tables, chairs, and bedsteads,
unless made of very old and well-seasoned wood, shrink
and shrivel in the sultry time, and require repairs involving
some outlay. The expenses incident to soft goods and
furniture are not much complained of, and do not appear
to be considered serious inconveniences.

Respectable residents or visiters can have, at a cost of
twenty shillings yearly, access to a library, from which

Gibraltar. 393

useful information and amusement may be extensively
derived. The building is of elegant structure, of extensive
dimensions, and its furniture unites beauty of appearance
with utility and comfort. It is supplied with the principal
newspapers and periodical publications of the civilized
world, and its shelves contain about twenty thousand
volumes, most conveniently arranged, and comprising the
choicest specimens of ancient and modern literature. No
person should visit Gibraltar, even during the time required
for coaling a steamer, without taking a glance or two at
the library and from its windows, for some of them com-
mand a splendid view of the bay and of a considerable
portion of the fortress, whilst many others are immediately
over parterres of the choicest and most luxuriant floral
productions.

Having enumerated almost every agreeable or advanta-
geous circumstance that I can recollect respecting the
time I spent in Gibraltar, I shall proceed to notice the
only alloys to the varied pleasures which I experienced
there. From the middle of June to the beginning of
September the heat is extremely oppressive, and when the
wind is easterly, as it frequently was during my sojourn,
its effect is extremely debilitating to the body and de-
pressing to the mind. During the sultry months no rain
ever falls, and, nevertheless, the wind coming from the
Levant is surcharged with moisture. Clothes hung out
to dry under a scorching sun continue as damp as when
first exposed, or perhaps become more so. Fish or flesh
meat killed in the morning will not be eatable in seven or
eight hours. Wine bottled, marmalade or jams made,
turn acid very soon. The slightest exertion becomes a
labour, and persons are less censurable for inattention to
the comforts of others as they lapse into indifference to

394 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

their own requirements. A long continuance of an east
wind would probably prove disastrously unhealthy, but it
seldom lasts long, and generally, after a couple of days or
a few hours, it is succeeded by a westerly breeze from the
broad Atlantic, cool, dry, and invigorating.

This impregnable fortress, which may defy all human
efforts for its forcible reduction, is not proof against the
invasion of countless small but most sanguinary creatures
that, if they could audibly express their universal craving,
would make an unvaried and continuous demand of blood.
The mosquitoes appear early in June, and are a most per-
sistent nuisance during the sultry months. It is no slight
advantage to Great Britain and Ireland to be free from
their annoyance. I suffered greatly from their envenomed
bites, and although sex or age appears to be utterly disre-
garded in their insatiate and incessant attacks, they are
reputed to accord a preference to the blood of a stranger.
The slightest aperture in the curtains of my bed resulted
in numerous punctures being made in the skin of my face
and hands. My friend Costello slept in an uncurtained
bed, and was not attacked by the mosquitoes. He told
me that, after he had resided in Gibraltar for a couple of
years, they ceased to annoy him. Dr. Williams described
them as ">the most affectionate little creatures in the
world, for if you killed one, some hundreds would come
to his funeral."

During the months of May and June in 1861, I heard
more cannon shots than ever reached my ears in the rest
of my existence. The artillery were practising daily for
several hours at floating targets in the bay, and the noise
was certainly far from agreeable to me. In the expression
of a wish for more quietude, I met no sympathy from
those who had resided in Gibraltar for a year or two,

Gibraltar. 395

and who had become accustomed to the firing, and
perhaps, if I spent a few months more in the fortress my
nerves would have become more obtuse. The convict
depot, outside the line wall, was very near to the battery
principally used for practice, and I have seen the premises
occupied by the superintendent completely clouded with
smoke, whilst his walls reverberated the repeated dis-
charges of heavy cannon. He directed my attention to
the domestic fowl, of which he had a considerable number,
and to the poultry of various kinds having become quite
accustomed and apparently reconciled to the appalling
sounds, and to the fire and smoke copiously emitted in
their proximity.

I was told, in casual conversations with artillery officers,
that one-third of the ammunition contained in the maga-
zines of Gibraltar was expended yearly, and that the
deficiency was supplied by an equal quantity from home.
I was informed that gunpowder becomes deteriorated if
kept beyond three years, and that the most advantageous
use of the old stock was to expend it in artillery practice.
Some of the floating targets were stated to be eight
hundred yards, and others six hundred from the battery.
I saw shells used very frequently, and was informed that
the practice was not efficient or satisfactory if at least one-
third of the shells did not explode directly over the target.
The bay is occasionally visited by large shoals of porpoises,
and in calm weather they frolic in great numbers on the
surface of the water. On a day in June, 1861, they were
extremely abundant, and no where more so than close to
the floating targets. Every shell discharged, killed or
disabled some of them without frightening the others or
dissolving their "aggregate meeting." Some tons of
porpoises were collected after the firing ceased, and

396 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

subjected, I believe, to some process for the extraction of
oil. I was a spectator, for about two hours, of the scene I
have endeavoured to describe, and it impressed me with
an awful appreciation of our artillery as applicable to
actual warfare.

DEPARTURE FOR HOME.

Early in the month of September I mentioned, in a
conversation with the naval superintendent, my intention
to leave Gibraltar for England by the first homeward-bound
steamer of the Peninsular and Oriental Company that
arrived. He observed that the "St. Jean d'Acre," the
flag-ship of Admiral Elliot, was to sail for Plymouth on
the 8th or 9th, and that if I chose to go in her he would
ask the Admiral to give me a passage. To this most
friendly proposal I thankfully acceded, and received,
through Captain Warden, an invitation from the Admiral,
and an intimation that a cot should be slung up for me in
his saloon. At the appointed time, T went on board, and
met with a most gratifying reception from the Admiral
and the other officers. I was apprised that the ship was
to call at Tangier, and also at Cadiz, which might cause
a delay of some hours at each place. We went very
quickly to Tangier, where a communication was received
for the British ambassador at Madrid, to be transmitted
to him from Cadiz. On arriving off the latter place, the
Admiral landed and came back in about an hour to have
his personal luggage packed up, to put his sailing captain in
full command of the vessel, and then to proceed himself to
Madrid as speedily as possible, in accordance with a tele-
graphic message from our ambassador. All requisite
arrangements were very quickly completed ; but before he
eft the ship he addressed the officers and crew, expressing

Admiral Porter. • 397

briefly but strongly his regret at parting from those who
had evinced, whilst under his command, the greatest effi-
ciency in the discharge of their duties, accompanied by
numerous manifestations of respect and attachment, of
which he felt extremely proud, and should never be for-
getful. As soon as his barge pulled off, the crew, of their
own accord, rapidly manned the yards, and cheered him
most enthusiastically until he entered the port and was
no longer in sight. It was a most affectionate farewell,
and must have been thoroughly disinterested, for the ship
was going home to be paid off, and, consequently, her
officers and crew would be dispersed amongst the general
body of the naval service. Immediately after we left
Cadiz, the midshipmen came into the saloon to receive
lessons from the naval instructor ; and as each of them
entered he saluted me with a semblance of the utmost
respect and humility, as " Admiral Porter." When I dis-
claimed the rank and authority ascribed to me by the
middies, one of them replied, that when the Admiral had
gone away, leaving me in full possession of his cabin, they
had agreed to make me an admiral, at all events until we
reached Plymouth ; and he begged leave to suggest that
the first exercise of my authority ought to be an order to
the instructor to give them a holiday or two. I laughed
heartily at the young scamp's suggestion, and the lessons
commenced. The instructor reprimanded one of his pupils
for not having previously studied some pages assigned to
him to learn, saying, " You will never attain rank in
the navy if you continue so ignorant of Navigation."
The middy replied, pointing to me, " The admiral who is
sitting there is of very high rank, and I could safely swear
that I know as much about navigation as he does."

398- Gleanings and Reminiscences.

CHARITY ; REAL CHARITY.

A woman and two children had been sent on board the
"St. Jean d'Acre" at Gibraltar to be taken to England.
Her name was Crompton, and she was the widow of a
carpenter who had been accidentally killed at the New
Mole two or three months previous to our departure. Of
the children, both boys, one was still unweaned, and the
poor mother and her offspring appeared to be miserably
destitute. Their scanty clothing was squalid and ragged,
and her health had been seriously impaired. She said that
her native place was in Durham, and that on arriving at
Plymouth she should apply to be transmitted home by the
parochial authorities. We were not forty-eight hours at
sea before she and her infants were comfortably and neatly
clad, the outer garments being made of blue serge, and
the others of checkered stuff. She and her elder boy
were furnished with hats and boots, fitting perfectly, the
uppers of the latter being made of canvas darkly varnished.
I was greatly surprised at the skill displayed in attiring
the poor creatures, for the needlework was faultless. The
younger child was made the favorite plaything of the crew,
who seemed delighted to pet and nurse him. When our
voyage was completed, a subscription amongst the officers,
seamen, and marines provided her with twenty-two pounds,
to which I added half a sovereign. The boatswain was
the principal collector for the poor widow, whom he de-
scribed, in nautical phraseology, to be " at dead low
water."

A DEATH AND FUNERAL.

The progress of the "" St. Jean d'Acre" did not appear
to me to be very speedy after our departure from Cadiz until

A Death and Funeral. 399

we arrived off Cape St. Vincent. The vessel was propelled
solely by the steam-screw. She was large and heavy, and
the weather was quite calm, so that sails were useless. I
did not regret the delay, for I could not be in more agree-
able society, and I never experienced any tendency what-
ever to sea-sickness. However, just as we sighted St.
Vincent, a strong and very favorable breeze sprung up,
and the sails were ordered to be set. Whilst all hands
were engaged aloft, 1 was sitting on the quarter-deck, en-
joying the novelty of the scene before me, and admiring
the celerity with which the work was accomplished. The
men were beginning to descend, when a poor fellow named
Parkes dropped from a great height. I think he fell from
what is termed the mizen-topsail-yard, and he came down
very close to me. I instantly took him under the armpits
and drew him lengthways on his back. He muttered,
"Too much tobacco/' and died instantly. It appeared
that he had been cautioned by the medical officers against
the excessive chewing of tobacco, but his neglect of the
warning, and a persistent indulgence in the unwholesome
mastication, produced a very fatal fall. In the evening of
the following day, his body was committed to the deep.
It was sewn in his hammock, in which a large cannon
ball was also enclosed. The band played some mournful
music whilst the corpse was conveyed to a grating, on
which it was laid, covered with the British flag. The
officers were in full uniform, and all the men not actually
engaged in navigating the ship came on deck. The chap-
lain read the Burial Service of the Church of England,
substituting "the deep" for "the ground/' and the grating
and flag were then released from their horizontal position,
and the body, slipping from between them, sank into the
ocean. The ceremony was extremely solemn and respectful ;

400 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

but as soon as it concluded, the band went down be-
tween decks and commenced playing very lively tunes,
and the crew betook themselves to dancing and other pas-
times incident to an hour of merry " sky-larking." I believe
that in the navy and army it is deemed desirable to dis-
courage the continuance, after discharging the last duties
to the deceased sailor or soldier, of gloomy thoughts or
dismal recollections.

THE BAT OF BISCAY AGAIN.

When we arrived in the Bay of Biscay, it was in a state
very unlike that which I endeavoured to describe in refer-
ence to my passage through it on my voyage to Gibraltar.
It then fully realised the Byronic line —

" And ocean slumber'd like an unwean'd child ;"

but when I viewed it from the deck of the homeward-
bound war-steamer, its surface was free from foam, and
perfectly glassy, but the smooth, unbroken water exhibited
stupendous undulations. We had a steady breeze on our
quarter, filling every sail, and directing the roll of the sea
completely with us, and our decks were quite dry. From
the summit of a mountain wave, we slided noiselessly
down, and were immediately raised again to a great but
transient elevation. In my former passage across the bay,
I was charmed by its unusual placidity, and on my return
I was struck with admiration of its grand appearance, and
highly gratified by^the safe and very quick run that we
accomplished.

We anchored in Plymouth harbour late in the evening
of the 16th of September, and I landed on the following
morning, and remained at a hotel for two days, awaiting

At Home again : Leisure no Pleasure. 401

the arrival of the steamer on her way from London to
Dublin. During my short stay, I was able to go
through Plymouth, Devonport, and their environs, which,
whilst they display natural beauties of no ordinary char-
acter, afford to a stranger, in their public establishments,
many objects which cannot fail to excite admiration.
Eventually, I reached Dublin on the 31st, and received the
affectionate congratulations of my family on my return to
them in perfect health. On the day after my arrival, my
youngest child designated me "the sweetest papa in
the world." The appellation was undoubtedly suggested
by the circumstance, that I had brought home 100 lbs. of
orange marmalade, 70 lbs. of preserved nectarines, 70 lbs.
of apricot jam, and six large Murcian melons. The excel-
lence of my sweets was fully proved by the rapidity of
their consumption. I fetched from Gibraltar a snake and
a green lizard, which I sent to the Zoological Gardens ;
but I believe they did not long survive their transportation
from the South of Spain to our cold and humid cli-
mate.

AT HOME — LEISURE NO PLEASURE.

After my return from Gibraltar, I found the tenor of
my life in Dublin forming the greatest contrast to the
twenty years during which I had been engaged in magis-
terial duties of a multifarious nature, extending from the
cognizance of lapses from sobriety or neglect of sweeping
a footway, to authorising a search for concealed pikes or
firearms, or taking informations and issuing warrants for
treason-felony. I regarded my release from any further
attendance at the place in Exchange-court, dignified by
the appellation of the Head-Office, as a most agreeable and

7, D

402 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

healthful change ; but I often regretted the cessation of
my functions at the branch-court in Kingstown, where I
enjoyed the ventilation of a pure atmosphere through
cleanly and elevated premises, whilst the bench which I
occupied commanded a view of almost the entire Bay of
Dublin. I also derived from my official position a free
passage, by first-class carriage, on the Dublin and Kings-
town Railway, aud occasionally received passes on the
Great Southern and Western Line, enabling me to visit
Cork or Killarney. All these advantages terminated on
my retirement. Persons sometimes came to my house,
supposing that I still had sufficient authority to take
declarations or attest signatures ; and when informed that
my functions had ceased, expressed their disappointment
at finding that I was " no longer of any use." My next-
door neighbour was a Rev. Dr. Browne ; and a gentleman
who had some business with him, but did not exactly
know his residence, pointed out my door to a cabman,
and desired him to " try there." Cabby replied, " No,
sir, that is where Porter, the decayed magistrate, lives." I
do not believe, however, that in the use of such an expres-
sion any wilful disrespect was intended. I have often
heard owners and drivers of public vehicles declare that
they regretted my retirement.

The Italians have a very current phrase,* which attaches
delight to the total absence of employment. I never could
appreciate idlenesses pleasurable; and I believe that nume-
rous instances of mental abberration have originated in the
want of occupation. I am disposed to insert in these pages a
few productions of my first year of unrelished leisure. If their

* Dolce far niente.

A Review. 403

perusal is pleasing to a reader, they require no apology ;
and if they arc considered unworthy of attention, they
may serve as a warning to others against being induced to
waste their time in similar attempts.

A REVIEW.

A gentleman of literary tendencies, and for whom I had
a great personal regard, mentioned to a small party of
friends his intention to publish a semi-monthly periodical
in Dublin, under the title of "The Irish Review." I
stated that whilst wishing the utmost success to his under-
taking, my hopes were extremely slender, and adduced
what I considered cogent reasons for the opinion ex-
pressed. None of the others coincided with me, and one
of them jocularly remarked that a penance should be im-
posed on me by requiring me to write the preface. With
this proposition the others fully agreed, and although I
steadfastly declined to comply with their requisition, I
expressed a willingness to attempt a contribution of a
prefatory nature, the topics and composition being com-
pletely left to my own discretion, or perhaps I should say,
indiscretion. The production was sent and published,
and although the periodical was not ultimately successful,
a better result may possibly attend the next attempt to
establish an enlightened and impartial organ of literary
criticism in the Irish metropolis. My contribution was
headed —

AN IRISH REVIEW.

When Albion, proud Albion, heard threats of invasion,
Her spirit and energy met the occasion ;
She call'd on her sons, and they readily back'd her,
And perhaps for thut reason, no foes have attack'd her.

404 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

Of Ireland, it seems, there were doubtings and fears ;
From us they declined to demand volunteers;
They thought that if bay 'nets and muskets we got,
We 'd exchange with each other a thrust or a shot.

They thought Tipperary could ne'er meet Tyrone,
And part in whole skin without any sore bone,
That lads from old Galway or Southern Tralee;
With Derry's apprentices might disagree.

We 've no volunteers, and we '11 not have a fight,
Our colors are peaceful, they 're plain black and white;
But without volunteers in green, scarlet, or blue,
We 're determined on having An Irish Review.

A review — where a mere moral force we demand,
A review — at which Intellect takes the command,
A review — where each Science delights to combine,
A review — where Wit's facings appear in the line.

A review — where a press procures willing recruits,
A review — where at Folly the satirist shoots ;
At poor Private Folly no aim is directed,
But General Folly 's the mark that 's selected.

To General Goodhumor the duty 's assign'd
Of keeping the ground, and the public shall find
He '11 drive away Rancor and Prejudice, too,
Till General Applause greets The Irish Review.

LINES IN AN ALBUM.

I wrote at the request of my beloved and truly lamented
son, Austin Duggan Porter, the following lines in his
Album : —

My youthful years have pass'd away,

My step hath lost its lightness,
And scanty locks, once brown, then gray,

Now show unvaried whiteness.
My failing eyes can see but few

Of early friends remaining,
Yet have I many reasons true

To keep me from complaining.

Lines in an Album. 405

To be a blessing to mine age,

I see mine offspring striving;
And even in this little page

My boyhood seems reviving.
I feel that they who bear my name

My early tastes inherit,
And their pursuits are just the same

As pleased my youthful spirit

CHAPTER XXX.

A DUBLIN DENTIST.

Several friends have suggested that, even at the risk of
being considered discursive or irregular in the arrange-
ment of my Gleanings and Reminiscences, I should not
conclude without narrating a few of the incidents which
my intimacy with the late Patrick Brophy, of Dawson
Street, the State Dentist, enabled me to witness or to hear
described by him.

He had commenced industrial avocations as an appren-
tice to a jeweller in Skinner Row, aid became singularly
skilful in the execution of articles in the precious metals,'
especially in the making of necklaces or setting of gems.
He subsequently obtained employment from a German
dentist who lived in Golden Lane; and from him he
acquired a practical knowledge of the operative means
necessary for the relief of personal suffering by stuffing or
extracting teeth. The German returned to his native
country in 1815, and Brophy immediately succeeded to
his Dublin business. When I became acquainted with
him, he was living in Dawson Street, and reputed to be
in the most extensive practice of a profession for which
he had not received any special preliminary instruction.
He was extremely convivial, but far more willing to give

A Dublin Dentist. 407

than to receive invitations ; and although his table was
most profusely supplied with the choicest wines and spirits,
I never perceived in him the slightest indication ofintem-
perance. Amongst his intimates the most intimate was a
gentleman who resided in the town of Galway, and whose
person was so very bulky as to obtain for him the soubriquet
of "The Great Western/' He required no invitations to
Brophy's table, for whenever he visited Dublin, he became
a daily dinner guest during his stay ; and certainly his
host did not hesitate to make him the subject of tricks or
bantering. At one time, Brophy had just returned from
a Parisian trip, and brought home two or three shawl or
scarf-pins made of polished steel, and having large mother-
of-pearl heads. The " Great Western " was in town, and
was in his usual place at dinner time, on a day when I
happened to be a guest. Pat had a dark scarf on his neck,
and it was fastened with one of the Parisian pins which I
afterwards heard had cost about tenpence. His bulky
friend had a finger ring, on which there was one diamond,
and soon after dinner, he took it off, and handed it to
Brophy, saying —

" Pat, you are considered a very competent judge of dia-
monds : what would you value that ring at ? "

Brophy examined the article, and replied, " I think it is
worth about thirty pounds."

" Well," said the other, " I bought it this morning at
West's in Capel Street, for thirty guineas."

" I do not think you should be dissatisfied with your
bargain. It is a nice, clear stone, and has been very neatly
set." was the observation of our host; but the proprietor
of the ring very soon observed that Pat was sporting a
beautiful pearl pin, and asked him where he had procured
it.

408 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

"This pin," said Brophy, taking it out of his scarf, and
holding it up to the view of his interrogator, "should be
in some national museum or institution where the relics
of departed heroism and the memorials of glorious achieve-
ments would excite the curiosity and admiration of future
generations. I have neither the time nor the ability ne-
cessary to . the description of its formation or value. I
almost wish that I never became its possessor."

The " Great Western " took the pin, and expressed his
admiration at the neatness of its formation, and the clear-
ness and smoothness of the beautiful pearl, of which he
implored his dear friend Pat to disclose the entire history.
Pat consented, and proceeded as follows : —

" I was for several years on terms of the closest inti-
macy with the late Dr. Auchmuty, who had a dispensary
at Rathfarnham. In his latter years his teeth had com-
pletely decayed, and I made him a set, with which he was
highly pleased, and for which I declined to accept of any
remuneration. I kept them in order by occasional repairs
and cleaning, and frequently visited the old doctor, for
whom I had the highest esteem, and whose conversation
was extremely interesting, for he had been a naval surgeon,
and served on board the "Victory" at the battle of Tra-
falgar. At length he found his health declining very
rapidly, and felt that his end was approaching; and he
said to me, a short time before his death, that he wished
to leave me a token of his gratitude for my attentions,
and begged me to accept this pin, which he assured me
was formed from a nail drawn from the timbers of the
" Victory," steeled and highly polished, and then mounted
with the pearl, which he had taken from Nelson's eye.
Such is the simple history of this extraordinary relic."

" Oh ! what a treasure you obtained from your old

A Dublin Dentist. 409

— — ' _ _- - _ j

friend!" exclaimed the "Great Western/' "exquisitely
beautiful in appearance, and also surpassingly interesting
in reference to its materials and origin."

" Its intrinsic value," said Brophy, " is not half, or
perhaps a quarter, of what your ring cost."

" I would give two such rings for that pin/' was the
reply.

Suppose I let you have it for one."
I would close the bargain at once."

" Then close it," said Pat, handing the pin to the Great
Western, from whom he received in return the thirty-
guinea ring.

Within forty-eight hours all the very numerous friends
and acquaintances of the dentist became fully informed
respecting the substitution of the Parisian shawl-pin for
the pearl off Nelson's eye. The former owner of the ring
became the object of cajolery and mock condolence where-
soever he appeared, and no one quizzed or bantered him
more than his friend Pat, who advised him to get up a
raffle for the pin, and offered to take three tickets, pro-
vided each chance of obtaining the Trafalgar relic did not
exceed four-pence. He retained the ring ; but, certainly,
the " Great Western" could console himself in the enjoy-
ment of very frequent repasts, which he appeared fully to
appreciate.

When Prince Napoleon, some years since, went round
Great Britain and Ireland in the Imperial yacht, "La
Reine Hortense," he was detained at Galway by the
weather becoming extremely boisterous. Having landed
and arranged to remain for a few days at the railway
hotel, he was waited on by the " Great Western/' who
then happened to be the High Sheriff, and who, accom-
panied by some of the principal gentry, welcomed the

4io Gleanings and Reminiscences.

Prince, and expressed an anxiety to give him a cordial
reception and to render his sojourn agreeable. The sheriff
addressed him in French, but was immediately requested
to speak English, with which language the Prince stated
that he was perfectly acquainted. In a short time after,
I was dining at Brophy's, and the Galway functionary
commenced a narration of the interview, but was imme-
diately interrupted by Pat, who told him that we knew all
about the affair already.

" How can you know anything about it ? " said the
sheriff; " there was nothing published beyond the fact of
our having called to pay our respects."

" Oh V replied Pat, " one of your companions was here
very soon after, and gave me the particulars fully, and I
mentioned them to a great many of my friends. He said
that you told those who were going with you that you
would address Napoleon in French, and when you and
the others were admitted, you began to speak, but was
immediately stopped by the Prince, who said, s Mr. Sheriff,
you will greatly oblige me by speaking English, for I
assure you and the other Galway gentlemen that I do not
understand the Irish language.' "

The laughter excited by Brophy's imaginative statement
that the sheriff's French had been mistaken for Irish was
renewed and increased by the earnest declaration of the
latter that the Prince had not uttered a word about the
Irish language, nor imputed any imperfection to his
French. By his energetic denials of the fiction he ren-
dered it extremely amusing.

Along with great hospitality, Brophy afforded his guests
frequent and varied amusements. He had a considerable
number of costumes, which enabled him to impart a gro-
tesque and motley appearance to the occupants of his

A Dublin Dentist. 411

dinner-table, or to produce a tableau vivant in his drawing-
room. There was a young barrister whose stature ex-
ceeded six feet, and he was generally wigged, robed, and
placed on an elevated seat, to be styled "The Lord High
Chancellor." I was usually equipped to personate a Lord
Mayor; but whenever his favorite tableau of the death of
Nelson was produced, I was in the garb of a sailor, and
had to catch the falling hero as soon as one who sang,
with a splendid voice and great musical taste, the recita-
tive and air descriptive Qf the casualty, came to the lines
announcing —

" At length the fatal wound,
Which spread dismay around,
The hero's breast received."

The vocalist was not in view; he was in a side wing,
where he was accompanied by pianoforte music, and the
shot was simulated by a blow on a drum. Brophy's
Nelson was a perfect make-up. He wore an admiral's
uniform, presenting an armless sleeve and various decora-
tions, and the green shade over the pearl on the sightless
eye was not forgotten. I recollect one representation,
when he fell more against my shoulder than across my
arm and knee, but he immediately stood up and exclaimed,

" D n it, that wont do ; I must die again."

He was very fond of music, and played the violin fre-
quently, but confined his performances to jigs> reels, and
lively Irish tunes. I called one evening, when I was told
that he was not at home, but as I was leaving, the servant
followed me, and I was informed that he wished me to go
down to the lower room of " the return," where he had
"a couple of fiddlers." When I entered the apartment,
he said that he was glad I came, as I had two legs, and
could increase the number amongst them to half-a-dozen.

412 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

Each of his companions was minus a leg, but their hands
were in perfect order, and their music was extremely
pleasing.

The late Lord Rossmore was very intimate with Brophy,
who was certainly not singular in admiring the many
amiable and agreeable qualities invariably evinced by his
noble friend. On one occasion Pat had engaged a first-
rate player on the Irish pipes named Conolly or Coneely,
to enliven upwards of a dozen guests by his very delec-
table music. He was totally blind, and was placed on a
chair in a corner of the parlour, where he played whilst we
were dining, but he had been previously supplied with a
plentiful repast. In the course of the evening, Brophy
had a small table placed before the piper, and said that he
had afforded us very great pleasure, but he should take a
little rest, unyoke the pipes, and have a tumbler of punch,
which was made by Brophy and put just at his hand.
Almost immediately after this arrangement had been
effected, Captain Toosey Williams urged Lord Rossmore
to take the pipes and favor us with a tune or two. * We
all joined in the request to " his lordship/' and he acceded
to our wishes, and played several pieces of exquisitely sweet
music, interspersed with most extraordinary imitations.
In one, which was named "The Hare in the Corn," he
produced sounds very much resembling the cry of harriers,
and other tones like the notes of a hunting horn, termi-
nating with two or three simulated squeaks, supposed to
indicate the capture of the hare. He then proceeded to
play the beautiful Scotch air of 'c Ye banks and braes o'
bonnie Doun," to which we were listening with great
delight, when the blind piper rose from his seat, and
exclaimed with furious indignation —

"I did not expect such treatment from any people

A Dublin Dentist. 413

calling themselves gentlemen. It was a most scandalous
shame to bring me, a poor dark man, here to be hum-
bugged as you are trying to do, calling on my lord to yoke
my pipes and play for ye. He is as much " a lord " as I am

myself; the d 1 a lord ever played as he does, he's

nothing but a rale piper. It is not honest or decent to
try and deceive me, but you can't do it."

Brophy succeeded in pacifying the enraged musician by
admitting that the performer was a real piper, and we
had two or three tunes more. Conolly's indignation pro-
duced very great merriment amongst us, and no one
enjoyed it more than the noble object of his censure.

There was a citizen of high commercial position, who ^
was, I believe, justly reputed to be very wealthy. He was
a widower, and had become habituated to take a very
copious allowance of grog immediately before retiring to rest.
He had a son whose society Brophy highly relished, for he
had been an amateur performer in every scene of warfare to
which he could obtain access. He had served in Portugal
under the standard of Donna Maria, and subsequently
joined the foreign legion embodied to contend against the
claims of Don Carlos to the crown of Spain. The con-
tests in which he had participated, and the vicissitudes he
had undergone, enabled him to relate many interesting
occurrences. He was a very agreeable companion, and
was always welcome in Dawson Street. Brophy had
made a set of teeth for the old gentleman, and when
doing some occasional repairs, was informed of the fact,
that every night the teeth were placed in a vessel of cold
water, where they remained until their owner restored
them to his jaws in the morning. One evening the young
man was expressing great dissatisfaction at the dull, tame,
and insipid life he was leading, without having any

414 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

incentive or opportunity to exhibit energy or attempt enter-
prise ; and he added, that although he was well lodged,
clothed, and dieted, he was personally penniless, for his
father never allowed him any pocket-money.

" I'll get you a little cash," said Brophy. " Slip into
his bedchamber, and bring me his teeth; he puts them in
a water-basin before he goes to bed." In a night or two
the suggestion was adopted, and Brophy immediately
made some slight alteration to prevent them exactly fitting
their owner, who very soon arrived in a most disconsolate
state, and was scarcely able to express articulately the in-
convenience and annoyance to which he was subjected.
He admitted that he had not been quite sober when he
went to bed, but felt certain that he had left the teeth in
the basin as usual.

Brophy sympathised with the toothless patient, and told
him that he would lose no time in remedying the disaster.
He measured the mouth, and then said that there was a
set nearly ready for a person who had bespoken them,
which, with a little alteration, might fit the present occa-
sion. The teeth were tried, they were a little too tight in
one place, and not close enough in another; but these
faults were speedily redressed, and the old gentleman was
enabled to express distinctly his perfect satisfaction,
adding —

" It is all right, Pat. There could not be a better den-
tist found in the world ; and only that they did not fit when
you tried them at first, I would almost swear that my own
teeth were back again in my head."

Brophy received twenty pounds, which were imme-
diately transferred to the young fellow, who subsequently
went to Italy to fight for the Pope, but never returned.

Patrick Brophy was a widower when my acquaintance

A Dublin Dentist. 415

with him commenced. At his marriage he had received
from the bride's father one thousand pounds in cash,
and a bond for a thousand pounds, the interest on which
was to be paid half-yearly, and the principal to be liquidated
at the death of the obligor. A sudden and very severe in-
disposition proved fatal to the bride in nine days after her
wedding, and in the evening after her interment her hus-
band returned the cash and bond to her parent. Although
such conduct was certainly disinterested, and might by
many be deemed even generous, he never relished any
allusion or reference to it.

I believe that about the commencement of his dentistry
pursuits, Brophy had some employment connected with
Doctor Steevens' Hospital. I have heard that he used to
repair or clean some instruments for the use of the insti-
tution ; but I know that when he had attained to extensive
practice and the incident advantages, he frequently evinced
a great desire for the prosperity and advancement of it,
and he frequently visited the old hospital, to all the wards
of which he had full access. There was a stringent pro-
hibition of the smoking of tobacco by any person what-
ever in the wards or passages, and a disobedience or
neglect of this order was punishable by immediate expul-
sion from the premises. James Cusack, who, as a sur-
geon, was not to be surpassed, was the principal of the
professional authorities, and he entertained a peculiar
abhorrence of the slightest fume of tobacco being observed
on the premises. On an afternoon stroll I accompanied
Brophy until we were within a few yards of the building,
when Cusack's carriage came rapidly up, and he afighted,
and entered as soon as possible the principal male ward,
in the most distant bed of which he saw a man in a sitting
posture and smoking a pipe. The offender, perceiving

416 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

that he was detected, reclined back, and drew the bed-
clothes about his shoulders. Cusack stepped rapidly to
the bedside, and said —

" You have been smoking."

" No, sir."

u I saw you, you lying scoundrel."

" No, sir."

Cusack was standing close to the culprit, and turning
round, he shouted for the attendants, who hurried to him ;
along with them Brophy and 1 entered the ward, when
Cusack resumed —

"This man has been smoking tobacco ; the pipe was in
his mouth when I came into the ward."

" No, sir."

" You have the pipe in the bed with you."

" No, sir."

" Lift this fellow to another bed, and see that he has
nothing wrapped in his shirt."

The order was obeyed, and then the vacated bed was
strictly searched, the bolster, quilt, blankets, sheets, and
mattress separately examined, but no pipe was forth-
coming. Cusack repeated his positive assertions, that he
had seen the fellow smoking, but he could only elicit
another " No, sir." He was retiring from the ward, not
perplexed in his conviction of having witnessed the for-
bidden indulgence, but disappointed and annoyed at the
fruitless search. Returning to the offender, he said —

" I promise to forgive you fully, and leave you quite
unpunished, if you now tell me where you put the pipe."

" Try your own pocket, sir."

Cusack put his hand in the back pocket of his overcoat,
and there found the pipe, which the delinquent had slipped
in as the other had turned about to call the attendants.

A Dublin Dentist. 417

Great laughter supervened, in which the eminent and
amiable James Cusack heartily joined. When we were
leaving the hospital, Brophy went into the ward and gave
the smoker half-a-crown, and on our way home he re-
marked that the fellow deserved a reward, as undoubtedly
his trick upon Cusack was " as good as a play."

An intimate friend, whom I could also term a school-
fellow, named Vickers, was my companion on a Sunday
walk in the summer of 1852, and we happened to direct
our course to the Royal Hospital of Kilmainham, and
finding that the door of the grounds so long used as a
public cemetery was open, we entered, and seated ourselves
in the centre of the inclosure, formerly known as " Bully's
Acre," or the Hospital Fields, resting ourselves on the
remains of an old monument, and enjoying the prospect
presented by the varied and undulating surface of the
Phoenix Park, and the rich country in its vicinity. My
companion had been a medical student in his youth, and
he related an adventure which the locality suggested to
his recollection, and with the results of which Brophy was
stated to have been unpleasantly and unprofitably con-
nected. His narrative was as follows : —

" We had a very stirring row in that corner one night,
when I was apprentice to old Aby Colles; for at that time
we had generally to provide our own subjects, or to pur-
chase them, at a very high price, from men who followed
the calling of " sack-em-ups ;" and as money was not
always plenty, we used to form parties for the purpose of
invading this and other burial-grounds, and exhuming the
bodies. Brophy, the dentist, had a brother named Maurice,
whom he was desirous of putting into the medical profes-
sion. He was a manly, generous fellow, and possessed a
very strong inclination for anything that denoted enter-

2 E

418 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

prise, or promised excitement. Pat had taken a cottage
and garden in Rathmines, and for his whim or amuse-
ment he went into a shop in Kennedy's lane and pur-
chased a spade ; and having given his address, the seller
wrote the name and address on the handle of the imple-
ment. The spade was sent home, and upon the same day
a party was organised, of which I constituted one, to visit
this place and disinter two or three bodies that had been
buried in the morning. I mentioned to Maurice the pro-
ject we had formed, and he eagerly joined in the under-
taking. All was arranged; and we drove out to this place,
left our cars at a little distance, and entered the ground,
determined to work silently and quickly. However, our
volunteer friend had provided himself with his brother's
spade, and certainly used it with great despatch, although
not so noiselessly as might be wished. But we had been
watched. We were seen entering the cemetery, and a
body of men, armed with every rough weapon that they
could procure, came suddenly upon us. We had to retreat,
and made a running fight until we reached the wall, and
there our associate was attacked by a man who, with
fearful imprecations, declared he would have his life.
Blows were quickly interchanged ; the combatants closed ;
and a fierce struggle occurred, which was terminated by
Maurice urging his antagonist to the wall, and very speedily
pitching him over; the depth at the other side was at
least ten feet, although where the encounter occurred was
only a foot or two lower than the wall top. The man fell,
exclaiming that he was murdered. He groaned heavily ;
and we succeeded with great difficulty, and not without
some severe blows from sticks and stones, in effecting an
escape from a scene where we felt almost fully convinced

A Dublin Dentist. 419

that we had left a warm corpse in our attempt to obtain
a cold one.

"On reaching Dublin, I accompanied Maurice to the
house of his brother, who was greatly alarmed at our ap-
pearance, and still more at our narration of the adventure.
When it was concluded, he eagerly asked where was the
spade, and on being apprised that it had been left in the
cemetery, he exclaimed that we would all be hung, or
at best transported. ' I knew/ said he to his brother,
' that you would get yourself into an infernal scrape sooner
or later; and now your only chance is to set off on foot,
and make your way to Naas. I shall have an inside seat
taken in the Limerick day-coach for a gentleman who will
get in there ; make your way to Limerick, and we will
try and manage a passage for you from some southern
port to get abroad/ Arrangements were made with brief
despatch; our companion departed; and the dentist re-
tired to an uneasy bed, perplexed by fears of coroner's
inquest, wilful murder, hue and cry, apprehension, trial,
conviction, and execution of his unlucky brother.

" Next morning he had scarcely finished his breakfast
when he was informed that M'Donough, the peace-officer,
required to see him. He admitted the unwelcome visitant,
and was informed that his orders* were to bring Mr.
Brophy immediately to the Head Police-Office, and to keep
him from communicating with any other person before
he arrived there. There was no further explanation ; and
Brophy thought it prudent to refrain from any question
beyond asking if he might take a car. This was at once
acceded to ; and as the peace-officer and his quasi prisoner
were getting on the vehicle, a woman rapidly approached

* Such orders were not unusual in former times.

420 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

and screamed forth the dentist's name. He ascribed this
circumstance to the grief or resentment of a bereaved
widow or sister, who thought that she beheld in him one
of the murderous authors of her misery ; but the car drove
off rapidly, and the police-office was reached without any
further incident or interruption.

" The office was crowded, and at the table was seated
Mr. William Hall, an attorney. Brophy and he were well
acquainted, and a salute passed between them as the den-
tist sat down near the other. The magistrates were in
their private room, engaged in some conference or consul-
tation. After the lapse of a few minutes, Brophy ven-
tured a word to Mr. Hall —

' This is a very unpleasant business, Billy/
'Very annoying, indeed/ replied the other, ' I have not
met a more unpleasant case for some time/

' Billy, would a little money be of any avail ?'
' Why, my dear fellow, thirty pounds would put an
end to it altogether/

" € Thirty pounds ! Don't say another word. Here's the
money. I depend on you that all will be right/

" The magistrates* entered, and Billy Hall immediately
proceeded to express his great gratification that it would
not be necessary, or indeed possible, to go any further with
the charge then pending before them. ' In fact/ said he,
' it is impossible to continue the prosecution, for the re-
spectable gentleman, whose name was alleged to have been
forged, has paid the bill, and it is now my duty to have
it handed over to him in your worship's presence/

" A bill of exchange was delivered, in compliance with

* I have often heard Pemberton and Ross Cox deseribe this scene as
fully remembered by them.

«

A Dublin Dentist. 421

Hall's direction, to Patrick Brophy, who found his name
written as drawer upon it, in a manner closely resembling
his own signature. Evidently surprised, he exclaimed that
he thought he had been sent for on another matter.

" € What other matter, sir? ' inquired Major Sirr.

" ' Oh, nothing, nothing, sir/ said the enraged but fearful
Brophy, who felt that an explanation, which would relieve
him from the loss just incurred, might involve his brother
Maurice in an accusation of dreadful import. ' Perhaps/
said a peace-officer/ the gentleman knows something about
a spade which we have below. We stopped a young vaga-
bond pledging it on the Coombe, and it appears quite new.
There was a name and direction on the handle, but the
fellow scraped it almost entirely out. We have found, how-
ever, on inquiry in Kennedy's lane, that this gentleman
bought such a spade at Bryan Murphy's yesterday.'

" ' That spade/ said Brophy, € is gone from Dublin. It
was bought for a friend, and is forty miles away by this time.'

" ' Then, what other business were you thinking of ? '
resumed the inquisitive Major.

"'Perhaps/ suggested Alderman Darley, 'his anxiety
refers to the young woman from Dolphin's Barn, who
is charged with concealing the birth of her infant, and
who so obstinately refuses to tell who is its father/

" ' Alas ! for the depravity of man/ said the Major.
* Shall we never be free from vice and its consequences,
sin and sorrow, crime and punishment ?'

" ' Why, Major/ said Brophy, taking courage, ' I don't
think you'll be quite free of them in a hurry ; but Fd like
to find out the other parties concerned in this darling bill,
for, by G , I'll make some of them pay it if I can.*

" ' Fie, sir V said the Major. ' It is plain that a mistaken
lenity has led you to adopt a forgery ; and I only hope that

422 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

there may be more of them in circulation ; for now having
paid one, you cannot refuse the others ; and as it is, I have
a strong inclination to fine you for blasphemous swearing.'

" e Don't mind it, Major/ said Brophy, ' I won't swear
any more ; but when I get out of this, I think that I'll
curse a little.'

" He departed, having paid thirty pounds for a forgery
of his own name, and had no consolation beyond discover-
ing, which he did very soon, that the fellow who had been
thrown over the wall was not dead, nor even materially in-
jured, and had taken his beating without making much
noise about it, once it was over. The spade had been found
by some poor vagrant, who sought quietly to dispose of it.
Maurice was brought home again, and Pat was forced to
acknowledge, amongst his bantering associates, that the
spade had turned up ' a trump' for the forger/'

CHAPTER XXXI

A TRIP TO THE NORTH — METRICAL ATTEMPTS —
CONTRASTS — PARIS: A FAIR — A REVIEW —

NADAR'S BALLOON SPORT, TURF, BOXING —

LIQUOR VEHICLES NO HODS — A HORSE, A DOG,

RATS.

I took a run to Belfast in 1862, and from thence through
Carrickfergus, and along the coast-road to the Giant's
Causeway, where I spent two days most agreeably. At the
Causeway hotel I met several gentlemen, to one of whom I
was known, and by him was introduced to the others. Their
society was extremely pleasant; for although they differed
in their views and opinions on certain subjects, their con-
versation was completely free from acerbity. In referring
to the preference of certain colors by the inhabitants of
northern or southern districts, an anecdote was related of
a wrangle between two young fellows who had come from
very distant parts of Ireland, to be employed in one of the
great monetary establishments of Dublin, and who resided
at Sandymount. I have hot introduced into my preceding
pages any expressions indicative of political or religious
preferences, and I think that the " wrangle " may be sub-
mitted to the perusal of all parties or sects without offend-
ing their feelings or exciting their prejudices. I thought it

424 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

curious and amusing, and it induced me to attempt to
narrate, in a versified form, the antagonistic tendencies

GREEN AND ORANGE— ORANGE AND GREEN.

" There is a flow'r I dearly love, and which with pride I bear
Upon my head, or next my heart, none with it can compare ;
It is the Orange Lily, to which glorious memories cling,
Of Deny, Boyne, or Aughrim, 'twill the recollection bring.
Some roots I have procured to plant, and when their flow'rs appear,
I'll hail them as the emblems of the cause I hold most dear."
Thus spoke a sturdy Northern lad. A Munster boy was nigh,
And heard the words which, he conceived, an insult did imply.
' ' I hate, I loathe your gaudy flow'r," disdainfully he cried ;
" It shall not grow, its tints to show, wherever I abide.
Your lily shall be trampled if it ever meets my sight."
The blood of both was thus aroused and eager for a fight ;
An aged man reproved them, bade their bitter taunts to cease,
And then suggested that his taste each might indulge in peace.
" My friend, I'll plant your lily, let its color glad your eyes,
No hateful green shall intervene to rival its rich dyes.
There's space enough throughout the land where those who love to see
The verdant hue may freely view the sod, the shrub, the tree."
The old man took the lily roots entrusted to his care,
With which the rival youths agreed no more to interfere.
In genial soil, of aspect warm, at once he planted them,
But as each primal leaf arose he nipp'd it from the stem.
He said the green must not appear the orange flow'r beside,
The blossom bright should meet the sight in undisputed pride.
But then the blossom, lone and bare, without the friendly aid

• Of leaves to shield its rising stem soon wither'd and decay'd.
The abortive root unto the youths the old man then display'd.
" Both colors are essential to the perfect flow'r," he said.
"You cannot have the orange if the green you take away,
The plant affords a lesson — may it reach your hearts, I pray."

METRICAL ATTEMPTS.

I shall venture to offer two or three more productions
to the readers of these pages. If my metrical attempts

Metrical A t tempts . 425

are considered even below mediocrity, they will serve to
make others more acceptable. The coarse, homely attire
of the peasant is a foil tending strongly to enhance
admiration for the courtly costumes of the upper classes ;
and the weeds that blossom in our hedgerows, or on the
sides of our highways, render us unconsciously more
appreciative of the floral beauties displayed in the gardens
of aristocratic mansions. My own recollections enable
me to compare much of the past with the present, and
render me desirous of endeavouring to describe some of
the changes which have occurred since —

LONG AGO.

Yon tree whose massive timber

The storms assail in vain,
I've seen a sapling limber

A child might rend in twain ;
And in the churchyard yonder,

It's planter *s lying low,
Whilst on its growth I ponder,

And think of Long Ago.

Yon brook that quickly courses

To turn the busy mill,
Then spent its unclaim'd forces

Adown the heath-clad hilL
The heather to plantation

Has yielded, and below,
A bustling railway station

Contrasts with Long Ago.

The breeze is freshly blowing

Full in yon harbour's face,
And yet some craft are going

Their wat'ry way to trace.
The adverse wind unheeding,

The waves aside they throw ;
By steam their journey speeding —

How changed from Long Ago.

426 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

— ~ - - — ^— — ^ ^ ^— ^~ ^ — — ^—

I meet a friend — he mentions

That news of import grand,
O'er half the earth's dimensions

Has reach'd the Irish land.
Th' events occurrM this morning,

And now each fact we know
By an electric warning,

Undreamt of Long Ago.

The village school is ending

Its labors for the day,
Each child, released, is wending

Its joyous homeward way.
Blithe be their youthful gambols,

Unchecked by care or woe,
As were my boyhood's rambles,

How long, how Long Ago.

And as my tott'ring paces

Proceed, there 's at my side
One whom for varied graces

I gladly made my bride.
Her dark hair then contrasted

With locks now tinged with snow,
But still our love has lasted

The same as Long Ago.

Thus let it be for ever —

Let Youth enjoy its time ;
Let Age, contented, never

Regret its vanish'd prime.
Life's joys, life's hopes, life's duties,

Each passing year will show,
And retrospective beauties

Appear in Long Ago.

Amongst the pictures which have, within my memory,
been exhibited in Dublin, one painted by Paul Delaroche
was regarded by me with surpassing admiration, in which
feeling I was certainly not singular, for I found it equally

Metrical Attempts. 427

appreciated by many others who viewed it at Le Sage's in
Sackville Street. It was said to have originated in an
extraordinary reverie of the artist, who, whilst suffering
from fever, imagined that he beheld the corse of a young
and beautiful female, whose hands and feet had been
tightly bound, drifting along a deep and rapid river. On
recovering from his malady, Delaroche delineated this
vision, and then considered what title he should give the
production. On searching the records of martyrdom he
could not discover the name of any sainted victim of per-
secution who had perished in the manner indicated; but
finding that the Emperor Diocletian had, about the year
of our Lord 300, caused some hundreds of his Christian
subjects to be drowned in the Tiber for refusing to abjure
their faith, he named the picture "La Marty re Chretienne."
It has been engraved, lithographed, and photographed so
much, as to evince a general admiration of the conception
and artistic power of the painter. I have written some
lines on this subject, and have endeavoured to adopt the
metre of Ariosto, which I consider not unsuitable to an
incident connected with Italy and the ancient days of the
Eternal City. The concluding stanza alludes to the lam-
bent circle which, in the painting, appears above the head
of—

THE CHRISTIAN MARTYR.

The sedgy margin of his yellow stream

Beholds old Tiber rolling to the main,
In eddies silver'd by the struggling beam,

Wooing the ripples which it can't retain.
A mutual mockery, a vap'ry dream,

Illusive, unsubstantial, cold, and vain
As human hopes, like ev'ry thing of earth,
Passing, unpausing, dying e'en in birth.

428 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

That river has beheld the glorious day

When chaste Lucretia*s wrongs awoke the ire

That freed her country from the Tarquin's sway ;
Upon that bank Virginia from her sire,

Loathing the brutal Appius to obey,
When in his breast there raged a base desire.

In her pure heart received the fatal knife,

Preferring death to a dishonor'd life.

Upon that bank in youthful beauty stood
The virgin Cloelia, when with high disdain

She scorn'd Porsenna's pow'r, and deem'd the flood
Was easier to stem than tyrant's chain

Could be endured ; and there the multitude
Of foes on Codes fiercely press'd in vain.

There, one 'gainst thousands, he maintain 'd his post,

And foil'd the foremost of Etruria's host.

Upon that classic bank did Mutius stand,
And in the midst of his astonish 'd foes

Upon the altar there he placed his hand

Unshrinking, round it whilst the flames arose,

To show th' invader of his native land

How he could scorn the torture's fiercest throes,

And that no tyrant's power could be secure

Against a patriot's purpose, firm and pure.

All these were high and noble in their daring,
In distant ages were their deeds achieved,

But they had earthly motives strongly bearing
Them onward in their course, for they believed

That man would honor them. Nor scant nor sparing
Has been the classic fame they have received,

And History still delights to gild her pages

With deeds like their's from Rome's incipient ages.

But still old Tiber's course hath onward sped,

And other incidents of higher fame
Have on his banks a holy lustre shed.

There Diocletian did his will proclaim —

Metrical Attempts. 429

That to the ancient stream there should be led
His Christian subjects, and the sacred name
Of Christ should be abjured, or Tiber's wave
Should those engulf who own'd His pow'r to save.

In youthful innocence a beauteous maid

Stands 'mongst the victims doom'd, with lips compress'd,
And eyes already closed — she hath essay'd

To banish earthly thoughts. Upon her breast
Her hands are folded — she hath meekly pray'd,

And He to whom her pray'r has been address'd,
To whom she clings all faithful, gives her pow'r
To meet the terrors of life's closing hour.

They bind her hands — she heeds not the infliction

Of cords that sink into her tender limb ;
She 's thinking of her Saviour's crucifixion —

Her soul hath flown to Calvary to Him.
She meekly hears each heathen malediction,

Heav'n seems to ope as earth appears more dim ;
Her fate severe for thrones she would not barter,
And now she sinks — a Christian Maiden Martyr !

Her form is slowly gliding to the sea,

Her soul to Paradise its way is winging,
Upon her pallid face serenity

Shows that to earth her heart was never clinging ;
To all the elements her corse may be

Abandoned, hut the seraph choir is singing,
And chaplets fairer than the flow'rs of Eden
In Heav'n shall deck the martyr'd Christian maiden.

Still o'er her drifting form a circlet golden

Upon the river sheds its lambent rays,
As though it would the lively hope embolden

The martyr's truth shall shine in future days,
And when her bones have moulder'd deep and cold in

Their ocean grave, men shall accord their praise
To him whose reverie or vision mystic
Her sufT rings shall depict with grace artistic.

43° Gleanings and Reminiscences.

The following lines were suggested by a visit to an ex-
tensive paper manufactory at Inchicore, which, I regret
to say, is not working at present : —

I stray'd along a village street,

And as in listless mood I wander'd,
The breeze had wafted to my feet

Something on which awhile I ponder'd.

Was it a precious talisman,

Whose magic tracings doth unfold
A right by which its bearer can

Claim and obtain the treasured gold ?

Was it a flow'r with tints array'd

Such as the vernal suns bestow,
Richer than monarch e'er display'd,

Was it a fragrant flowret ? No !

Was it a feather dropt away

From some wild bird of varied hues ?
From moors whereon the plovers stray,

Or groves wherein the ringdove coos ?

Was it the down the thistle yields,
That sails through air like drifting snow ?

Or fairy flax from fenny fields,
Or plume from warrior's helmet ? No !

Or manhood's locks, or maiden's hair,
Wafted by breeze through village street ?

Nor this, nor these— but lying there
A filthy rag was at my feet.

With dirt begrimed, that remnant mean,

Crush'd in the mire, I saw no more ;
But yet I mused on what had been

Its various uses heretofore.

The great, the humble, grave or gay,
Noble or base, whoe'er it clothed,

Reject it now, and cast away,
'Tis only seen but to be loathed.

Metrical A ttempts . 331

Such were my thoughts till slumber came,

And then by fancy's vivid light
Methought that rag, the very sune—

Appeared again before my sight,

No longer were its folds defiled,
But pure and white it seem'd as snow,

And 'neath a roller whirling wild,
I saw the worthless fragment go.

And bleach'd and clean, by that machine

'Twas triturated fast ;
And when 'twas found completely ground,

O'er wires its pulp was pass'd.

And on and on that rag hath gone,

'Neath cylinders I traced it,
And there it roll'd through heat and cold,

Whilst giant force embraced it

And I could mark th' electric spark *

Gleam like a fairy taper;
And fair and smooth as the brow of youth,

That filthy rag was Paper.

Material fit for Holy Writ

And tidings of salvation —
Material grand for a struggling land

When seeking liberation.

Material proud to warn aloud

'Gainst slavery's subtle meshes —
Material true to teach the few

The many's rights are precious.

Material meet for tidings sweet

Of distant recollection —
Material best to purge each breast

Of Bigotry's infection.

* The paper, when coiled upon the receiving roller, is very electrical, until
it becomes perfectly cool. If the hand is held within five or six inches of
it, sparks are elicited, and a lucifer match may be ignited without bringing
it nearer to the " material."

432 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

Material bright to guide and light

The onward march of Reason —
Oh ! that old rag has form'd a flag

For man's best thoughts to blazon.

Then may its use each day produce,

From pen and press united,
Each noble thought by which we ought

To feel our souls excited.

May Honor grand, with Virtue bland,

Inspire it and direct it,
Till wheresoe'er 'tis hoisted, there

That flag shall be respected.

In the pages which I have yet to submit to the in-
dulgent consideration of my readers, it is not my inten-
tion to continue the insertion of specimens of my metrical
tendencies. The remainder of my reminiscences are
chiefly derived from a residence of eighteen months in
Paris in J 864-5. That city has been subjected to much
suffering amongst her inhabitants, and to the destruction
of magnificent palatial and municipal edifices since the
time to which my visit refers; and the Imperial dynasty, that
then seemed perfectly secure against Bourbon rivalry or re-
publican designs, has experienced a complete extinction,
without any apparent chance of its revival. Notwithstand-
ing all the changes which have occurred within the last ten
years, I feel convinced that there are many sights which the
French capital can still present to the observation of a
traveller from this country, and which will remain indelibly
impressed on his memory, either through their intrinsic
beauty or magnificence, or still more by the marked con-
trast they exhibit to objects similar in name here, but in
which the name is the only resemblance. He who reflects on
the presence of some objects and the absence of others,

A Review. 433

will be frequently more astonished at not seeing than in
beholding. I think that this remark can be exemplified.
There is a fair in Paris which is held, during the entire
month of January, on the Boulevards, extending from the
Madeleine to the Place de la Bastile, a distance of about
three English miles. It is resorted to by the most respect-
able classes. There are wooden booths erected at both
sides of the Boulevard, on the footways ; and the articles
offered for sale comprise " everything, and anything else
you may wish for." Children have their toys and confec-
tions. Hats, lamps, shoes, boots, jewels, hosiery, glass,
birds, mountebanks, newspapers, portable baths, guns,
groceries, gloves, cutlery, false teeth, false beards, false
eyes, false legs, tempt the adults. There are, however,
no horses, cattle, sheep, or swine offered for sale, the live
stock consisting only of poultry, rabbits, pigeons, and
Guinea-pigs. To an Irishman it is a fair only in name.
I visited it frequently, and saw it early and late, but I did
not hear an altercation or see a fight, or any person intoxi-
cated. Oh, Donnybrook ! how different from your defunct
glories! How could a Patlander recognise any resem-
blance in a scene of peaceable amusement, excited and
busy, but without a reel or a blow, to the classic spot,
where " batin' was chape as dirt " amongst

" Hearts soft with whisky, and heads soft with blows " ?

A REVIEW.

I was at a review in honor of the Emperor's birth-day,
or perhaps it should be termed the " Napoleon day/' for
it was held on the 15th of August, 1864, the real natal
day of the third Napoleon being the 20th of April, and

2 F

434 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

the other day being the anniversary of the first Napoleon's
nativity in 1769. There were more than 100,000 troops
on the ground, the Champ de Mars, but nearly the half
were National Guards. The concourse of spectators was
immense. When his Imperial Majesty arrived, there was
not a hat raised, neither was there a shout uttered, nor a
shot fired. The troops defiled before him in slow and
and quick time, and then he departed. I must have been
afflicted on that day with temporary deafness, for I saw it
announced in several newspapers of the following morning,
that his, Majesty had been received with the loudest
acclamations.

nadar's balloon.

Neither at the review to which I have adverted, nor at
the ascent of Nadar's giant balloon, where a still greater
multitude were assembled, did I see an intoxicated person,
or witness any disturbance or altercation. I am far from
averring {that intoxication does not occur amongst the
French, but I believe it to be very infrequent- On a
summer's evening, in the Avenue de Neuilly, I observed
three workmen, and they were inebriated. Each of them
was insisting that the other two should carry him, and
they successively tried the experiment, but it terminated
always in the tumbling of the three. The spectators were
laughing, and the fellows themselves seemed to enjoy the
fun, without the slightest asperity towards those who
indulged in merriment at their falls. I thought that in
my own country there would have been a very prompt
offer made, by any tipsy fellows who were laughed at, to
supply the company present with an immediate assort-
ment of darkened eyes and ensanguined noses.

Sport, Turf j Boxing. 435

SPORT, TURF, BOXING.

Some of our words have been pretty generally adopted
by the Parisians. " Sport " is frequently used in reference
to hunting and racing, but I never heard it applied to
shooting or coursing ; and it is remarkable that the word,
with the addition of an " e," also signifies the basket of a
mendicant friar. Le Turf is, as a racing term, understood
in the same sense as amongst ourselves ; and the mono-
syllable by which we express a pugilistic contest, is used
to invite or describe an encounter between two combatants
who are unprovided with weapons. Outside a wine-house,
at Vaugirard, I witnessed a quarrel, and heard the invita-
tion, " Voule% vous box ?" The affair commenced by the
parties stripping off their blouses, and then, with raised
arms and open hands, capering before each other, as if
watching an opportunity to strike. I did not see a box
given ; for, after a few feints, one combatant gave the other
a fearful kick in the pit of the stomach, which stretched
him in the greatest agony, and loud acclamations from
amongst the bystanders greeted the conqueror. On
another occasion, in the Rue de L'oratoire, after a similar
challenge, the parties did not strike or kick, but had a
wrestle, which terminated in one getting the other down ;
he then seated himself on bis prostrate antagonist, and
proceeded to strike him violently on the head with a sabot,
or wooden shoe, without any interference or disapproval
on the part of the persons present. A sergent de ville
having seen the crowd, came up, and required the victor
to cease hammering his foe. He was instantly obeyed, the
vanquished party arose and decamped, and the police-
officer walked on without taking any further notice of the
affair. A bystander expressed his sympathy with the

436 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

conqueror, by remarking, that after having gone to the
trouble of getting the fellow down, it was a pity that he
was not allowed to punish him.

LIQOUR VEHICLES.

I did not at any time in Paris see two persons in attend-
ance on any vehicle used in the conveyance of liquor.
One man took charge of a long, narrow dray, on which a
number of barrels were placed in two, or perhaps three,
tiers; they were secured by ropes passing from rere to
front, and there tightened by a kind of capstan, with bars
and a catch-bolt. There was also a hinge between the
shafts and the body, which allowed the front to be elevated
and the rere to be lowered. One man managed this
machinery, and could deliver the entire or any part of the
load with safety and despatch. The adoption of similar
vehicles in the liquor traffic of our country would be
decidedly economical; but additional labour would be
required to lower large casks into underground cellars, a
description of store which is very uncommon in Paris.

NO HODS.

In one of the early productions of my schoolfellow and
frequent playmate, Samuel Lover, he narrates an anecdote '
of two Dublin hodmen, one of whom expressed doubts as
to the capability of the other to carry a hod, heavily laden,
up a ladder to the roof of a high house. This produced,
on the part of the other, a wager of a gallon of porter, that
he would carry the very man who had taunted him, in a
hod, and deliver him over the parapet, five stories above the
street. The bet was made, and one fellow seated himself
in the hod, and was carried by the other safely to the roof;
he then acknowledged that he had lost, but added, " When

A Horse, a Dog, Rats. 437

you were about five rungs of the ladder from the top, I
thought you were getting a little weak, and that I had a
Jine chance of winning the gallon." I do not think such a
dangerous wager could arise in Paris, for although very
extensive buildings were in progress during my sojourn, I
never saw such an implement as a hod there. All the
materials were hoisted up by ropes, pulleys, and wind-
lasses. Horse labour was very much used, and small
steam-engines were occasionally employed. The lives and
limbs of the Parisian workmen were consequently safe
from the risks incident to a false step or a rottten rung.

A HORSE, A DOG, RATS.

The French occasionally train animals to exhibit amu.
sing tricks and tendencies ; and the surprise of a spectator
is not excited so much by what he sees done, as by the
conjectures he forms or hears expressed by others, as to
the means adopted in bringing animals to the observance
of extraordinary habits, or the habitual performance of
prescribed duties. When the Messieurs Pereire were
building the magnificent structures which form the Boule-
vard Malesherbes, a large black English horse was em-
ployed to raise materials by a rope and pulleys. He
worked kindly at his laborious task ; but as soon as the
bell rang for breakfast, dinner, or the termination of the
day's work, he stopped, and would not resume until the
usual time for feeding or rest had elapsed.

At the corner of the junction of the Rue de Castiglione
with the Rue de Rivoli, a shoeblack plied his humble vo-
cation, and derived great assistance in obtaining employ-
ment from a poodle dog, that had been trained to run, with
paws purposely soiled, across the feet of persons coming
towards his master's bench and brushes. The dog was,

438 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

perhaps, the greatest curiosity in the locality, for he never
attempted to renew his trespass on the boots or shoes of
those who had spent two sous in having them polished by
his proprietor. I have frequently seen him actively en-
gaged ; but he confined his attentions to the male sex ;
and I can add, as a circumstance very creditable to those
on whom his avocation was exercised, that I never saw
him kicked or struck. His daily duties were of a very
extraordinary nature ; but far more extraordinary must
have been the training by which he was qualified for their
performance.

On the Esplanade des Invalides I witnessed a most ex-
traordinary exhibition. A very aged man appeared, drawing
a small four-wheeled truck. He stopped and rang a hand-
bell for some minutes. When a number of spectators
had collected, he opened a slide on the top of the truck,
and in the most endearing terms invited his pets, his
darlings, to come forth.. The darlings came at his call, and
consisted of about three dozen rats, mostly of a white or
cream color, with red eyes. They crept up his legs, crowded
on his head and shoulders, nestled inside his vest, and
eagerly fed on some fragments of cheese and some Indian
corn, which he produced from a dirty old bag. He then
took a tin box, in the lid of which there was a hole, suffi-
cient to admit one rat at a time ; and having given the
word of command, the " darlings" proceeded to enter. It
seemed too small to contain the entire number; but he
insisted on their entrance, scolded them, and swore vehe-
mently at their tardiness. « At length all had disappeared,
and I then perceived that the bottom of the box was
fastened to the upper part by hooks, which the old man
drew back, and raising the box he displayed a compact
mass of rats, packed almost in a square. He gave the

A Horse, a Dog, Rats. 439

word and they separated, and having got some water, re-
entered the truck, and the old fellow sent round the hat
to collect a few copper from the spectators. I could not
refuse a trifle for an exhibition which I considered very
curious, but very disgusting. I looked with loathing upon
the intimacy between the nasty vermin and their pauper
master ; and I should have seen, with great satisfaction,
the entire school consigned to the attentions of half-a-
dozen terriers.

"v/N/ W>

CHAPTER XXXII.

CONTRASTS — FRENCH KITCHENS — SHOPS AND SIGNS

THE SEINE TREES AND FLOWERS A PRETTY

THIEF — FRENCH WIT FRENCH SILVER THE

HOTEL DES INVALIDES.

In narrating the incidents that came under my personal
observation, and the impressions produced by many of
them on my mind, during a residence of eighteen months
in the French capital, I have to suffer the disadvantage of
a lapse of ten years, during which some tremendous visi-
tations have produced very disastrous effects, which may
be attributed not only to the successful hostility of a
foreign enemy, but also to the unrestrained and sangui-
nary violence arising from domestic turbulence. These
unhappy events may have occasioned changes in the mo-
rals and habits of the Parisians which would prevent
recent travellers from deeming my descriptions correct
or my conclusions reasonable. Having premised the pos-
sibility of a considerable social alteration, I resume, and
shall advert to certain comparative qualities of persons in
this country and in Paris, belonging to similar classes,
presuming to recommend them to the consideration, not
only of those who may visit the French city, but to all
who are desirous of the improvement and civilized progress

Contrasts. 441

of thousands around us. Let me put some unpleasant
but truthful contrasts. If I walk, between the hours of
nine and twelve at night, from Stephen's Green, by Grafton
Street, Westmoreland Street, and Sackville Street, to the
Rotundo, I shall see from two to three dozen intoxicated
females, and hear many loathsome expressions. On Mon-
day mornings, there have been frequently upwards of fifty
females convicted before me for drunkenness ; and it
would appear, by the statistical tables of the Dublin police,
that the numbers have not decreased since my retirement
from office. Now, without stigmatizing my own native
Dublin as a peculiar locality of public impropriety, I would
fearlessly assert that the English Metropolitan district is
as bad, that Liverpool is worse, and our own Cork not
better. The contrast presented to the reader is, that
during a residence of eighteen months in Paris, and in that
time frequently passing at late hours through quarters in
which much poverty is to be seen, and to which great im-
morality is generally ascribed, I never saw a female under
the influence of liquor, and never heard an expression or
witnessed a gesture of an indecent character.

I ascribe much of the intemperance of the operative
classes in* Ireland, aye, and in Great Britain also, to the
absence in general of each sex from the potations of the
other. I shall venture on a narrative, which the steno-
graphic talent of Mr. Hughes enabled him to acquire whilst
waiting in the yard or lobby of the police-court, and listen-
ing to a woman detailing the misfortunes of some of her
friends: — •

" Mrs. Rafferty had just run out to get a grain of tay
and a quarther of snugger. Mrs. M'Mullen, the shoe-
maker's wife, had a few half-pence left after paying for a
pair of soles and .some binding; and was it not quare that

442 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

they should meet Jenny Riordan just round the corner at
Cassidy's door ? Cassidy always kept c the best of sper-
rits/ and Jenny Riordan stood for little Patsy M'MulIen
only a fortnight before. Mrs. M'Mullen insisted that
half a glass a-piece would do them no harm, if they 'd slip
into Cassidy's. Well, in they went; and just as they
were passing ' behind the tay chests,' that all the world
mightn't see them, who should be there but Kitty Laffan
and Betty Rooney. Poor Betty had just left her sarvice,
and had half a quarter's wages in her pocket ; and she
wished to explain why she wouldn't stay in that place, as
her mistress was too particular entirely. They were all
decent women, that never took more than ' half a glass '
at a time. But they were all very genteel, and had a
proper spirit ; so each insisted on ' standing/ until each
half glass had become half a pint. Mrs. M'Mullen got
home after losing the pair of soles on the way, and got
terrible usage from her husband. Mrs. Rafferty had a
little difference with Betty Rooney, and as Betty felt her-
self rather strong after the last little sup, she cut Mrs.
Rafferty 's head with a pewter quart that happened, un-
luckily, to be e convenient.' Mrs. Rafferty put Betty's
eyes into mourning for the next week ; and the big polis-
man (I don't know his name, but they call him ' Coffin-
foot/ because you might bury a child in his shoe) escorted
the combatants to Chancery Lane." Some more of the
party were picked up on their way home, and taken to
Newmarket, and were brought up to the Head Office next
morning. The husbands of these half-glass takers could
not say much about the matter, for they had a little jolli-
fication amongst themselves on the previous Monday, and
two of them beat their respective wives very severely, for

Contrasts. 443

daring to go skulking and prying after them, and disturb-
ing them, under the pretence of getting them home.

Such was not an exaggerated picture, nor did it deal
with an unusual occurrence; but there was avast diffe-
rence between it and the indulgences of the corresponding
class in Paris. There, if a married operative took himself
to the fair of St. Cloud, to the Bois de Boulogne, or Vin-
cennes, his wife almost invariably not only accompanied
him, and if they had a family, brought one or two of the
children with her, but she also assumed the direction of
the humble festivity over which she presided. Then, as
to the refreshments, no seclusion was sought: on the
contrary, if the weather was fine, the open air was pre-
ferred. Their landlord, their employers, their neighbours
might be passing, or perhaps occupying the next tables,
whilst the Frenchman and his family were enjoying them-
selves. Th e woman shared the wine, beer, coffee, cakes,
or whatever formed the repast. Their superiors were
recognised, and saluted with grave respect. Their acquain-
tances were accosted with politeness and apparent cor-
diality, but were not invited to join. Wine was not much
used ; beer, of German or English manufacture, especially
the latter, was the drink most desired. The man sat,
chatted, and smoked ; the woman occupied herself with
the children, or perhaps with needle-work. The various
incidents of a French metropolitan thoroughfare or plea-
sure-grounds amused and sometimes excited them. In-
toxication and its concomitant indecencies and absurdities
were ignored. A man could not but feel repugnance to
excess in the presence of his wife, and with his children
almost at his knees; and, moreover, publicity is an impor-
tant auxiliary to the promotion and maintenance of deco-
rum. In the British empire, the respectability of a neigh-

444 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

bourhood is considered a valid reason against granting
a licence for the sale of liquor to be consumed on the pre-
mises, in the vicinity. In Paris, there is a restaurant in
the gardens of the Tuileries, another at the Luxembourg,
and two within the palatial grounds of St. Cloud, unless
recent events have caused their suppression, which there
is no reason to suppose to have occurred. In every part
of France that I visited, I felt convinced that the policy
was to have liquors moderately supplied to sober cus-
tomers, and to impart full publicity to the sale and con-
sumption. Amongst us the classes of society are sepa-
rated from the view, and consequently from the moral
influences of each other ; and licensed public-houses in all
our populous localities are provided with places arranged
for the reception and refreshment (?) of the lower orders,
where they may meet " no one better than themselves " —
where they may skulk in and reel out.

I turn to another topic which involved a great and very
apparent difference between the operative and laboring
classes who came under my observation in Paris and those
of corresponding grades in my own country. In the French
capital, works were in progress of a most extensive nature.
Great eminences were to be levelled, and valleys filled up ;
old streets were to disappear, to be replaced by spacious
Boulevards, lined with splendid mansions. I was informed
that upwards of 200,000 laboring men were employed in
daily toilsome work, but to avoid any imputation of an
exaggerated statement, I shall suppose the number not to
exceed one-half of the thousands mentioned by my infor-
mants. As to those whom I saw engaged in mere labor,
one look at their wrists and ankles — one glance at their
weather-bronzed features and high cheek bones would
suffice to satisfy any observer of the unceasing exertions

French Kitchens. 445

incident to their avocations. Their necks were open, and
a hat or cap, a blouse, trousers, shoes, and stockings were
the only garments to be seen. Their clothes in general
appeared old and worn ; a patched elbow, a patched knee
was to be seen with the great majority : but amongst them
I looked repeatedly, but invariably in vain, for even one
ragged man. I may mention that the words "une loque "
(a rag) was considered amongst the lower classes in Paris
as expressive of the utmost contempt for the person, male
or female, to whom it would be applied.

FRENCH KITCHENS.*

To such of my readers as may visit Paris, I presume to
suggest that they will be amused and perhaps surprised
by examining two or three French kitchens. The space
appropriated to culinary purposes, even in establishments
containing numerous inmates, is in general less than one-
half the size of the apartment used for similar purposes
amongst us. The cooking is done by u a range," which
usually occupies one-third of the room. Covers, stew-
pans, saucepans, salad baskets, ladles, &c. appear on the
shelves or hang thickly upon the walls. They are very
cleanly in appearance. The French own Cayenne, but I
never met a French cook who was Acquainted with such a
stimulant as Cayenne pepper, nor did I ever see it at
table. Mushrooms are profusely used in a variety of
ways, and by their extensive artificial cultivation, are pro-
curable almost in all seasons, but catsup appears to be
unknown, nor is there a specific word in the language by
which it can be expressed. The French have been con-
temptuously designated " frog-eaters/' but if you wish to
indulge in a repast of frogs, you will have to pay as much
for it as would procure you a far larger portion of turtle in

446 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

London or Liverpool. The hind-quarters of the frog are
the only parts used in French cookery. Snails are highly
esteemed, and enormous quantities are displayed for sale,
in baskets or barrels, at certain houses, which exhibit
inscriptions that they are celebrated for snails (speciality
pour escargots.) I tried a plate once, and must candidly
admit that the stomach overcame the palate, or perhaps I
should say that prejudice conquered judgment. I have
never seen them served up to table, unless in soup, and
my plate contained at least a dozen. I took one, thought
it a delicious morsel, swallowed it, and essayed another.
Nothing could be nicer, and down it went, but then my
stomach suggested that I was eating snails. In vain the
palate pleaded ; I could go no further, and compromised
with the stomach that if it retained the two, no more
should be offered. I do not consider myself an epicure,
but can easily imagine that a lover of dainties might regret
that he had not been trained in early life to take, without
repugnance, a mess of snails.

If you fancy corned beef and the vulgar vegetable which
is abundantly used, but never named at our tables by lips
polite, let your thoughts revert to home, and postpone the
repast until your return, for at a French table it is not to
be seen. If you get a nice slice of ham you are at liberty
to wish for a little strong Irish mustard to give it a relish ;
the French mustard is made with vinegar and flavored
with garlic, and is certainly a very unpleasant contrast to
ours. If you wish for pepper or salt, turn the haft of your
silver or plated fork and help yourself with it. I never
saw a salt-spoon or pepper-castor at a French table.

Shops and Signs. 447

SHOPS AND SIONS.

The shops on the principal commercial thoroughfares
of Paris are tastefully constructed, and their internal
arrangements, in almost every instance, appear creditable
to the proprietor and convenient to his customers. Still,
I do not think that Grafton Street, College Green, Dame
Street, Westmorland Street, or Sackville Street, would be
disparaged by a comparison with the Parisian streets in
which similar trades are pursued as those to which, in the
above-mentioned places, the Dublin shops are appropriated.
Perhaps I should not employ the term "shop" for it
appears to have fallen greatly into disuse, and to have been
supplanted by houses, temples, halls, emporiums, maga-
zines, bazaars, institutions, and repositories. I like the
old respectable, bread-winning word ; and I cannot forget
the expression attributed to the first Napoleon, that he
overcame every difficulty until he had to encounter the
hostility of "ships and shops/' However, I fear I am
digressing, and shall proceed to notice some differences
which a tourist may observe between our shops and those of
Paris. In my opinion, nothing proves the advance of educa-
tion, although of a very limited nature, in Dublin more than
the almost universal abandonment of signs and peculiar
designations over our shops. In my early boyhood, few
of the laboring class, or even of the domestic servants,
could read. It was hazardous to send a messenger to
Messrs. Worthington and Dawson, hardware merchants,
27 Thomas Street. Signs were absolutely necessary for
those who could not read ; so we had the " New Frying
Pan," the "Golden Boot," the "Three Nuns," the
" Plough," the " Raven," and hundreds of others dis-
played. Nicknames were sometimes advantageous to

448 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

traders ; O'Brien of Christ Church yard would rather have
his till plundered than be deprived of his designation of
" Cheap John." " Squinting Dick's " was an unfailing
direction to a rich trader's in Mary's Abbey, where he
viewed both sides of the street at one glance. In France,
I feel convinced that the education of the " million " has
not advanced as it has with us, and consequently signs
and peculiar titles for commercial establishments are
extensively used. In Paris the number and variety is
astonishing, and in some instances very irreverent. That
name, at the mention of which every knee should bend, is
over more than one shop. Saintly names and effigies
designate many houses engaged in the sale of mere worldly
wares or fashionable vanities. A picture of the first
Napoleon is displayed on one house as " La Redingdte
Grise," (the grey riding coat,) and on another he appears
as " Le Petit Caporal " (the little corporal.) Some signs
bespeak the patronage of the aristocratic legitimists, others
refer to French progress in the arts, or prowess in the
battle-field. Some of the shops amuse by ludicrous pro-
pinquities. In the Rue de Rivoli one house, over the
door of which Cupid appears persistently stationary, is
inscribed with an announcement of marriage outfits; next
door to it is an extensive establishment of baby linen. On
one of the Boulevards, St. Michael the archangel is only a
door removed from — the prophet Mahomet.

I have to enunciate a deliberate opinion, which to those
who have not visited the French capital will undoubtedly
appear extraordinary, and perhaps be by them considered
exaggerated. It is to the effect that if I had to select the
Parisian shop most worthy of a prize for comparative
cleanliness, beauty of internal arrangement, quality and
variety of productions incident to the trade, I should feel

Shops and Signs. 449

bound to award the preference to some one of the many
shops belonging to Butchers. In nearly all these con-
cerns, whether small or spacious, it would be almost im-
possible to suggest any improvement. There is one be-
longing to Duval, in the Rue Tronchet, just at the rere of
the Madeleine, well deserving of an express visit. An
entire house is appropriated to make a shop, and nothing
intervenes between the floor and the roof. Over the front,
as emblems of the trade, you see gilded ox-heads and the
horns of deer displayed. You enter on a floor neatly
matted, or in summer sprinkled with white sand. The
meat lies on slabs of white marble, or hangs from hooks of
polished steel, and the scales are sheeted with porcelain.
Stools, well padded, and covered with green leather afford
you a seat. On the shelves, and in the recesses, bouquets
of flowers and pots of the choicest exotics gratify your
sight and smell. A fountain with a rock-work basin ex-
hibits gold fish and scarlet carp. The cashier is a hand-
some female, elegantly attired. The aspect of the place
tends to excite an appetite, for no idea of an impure or
disgusting nature can be suggested by anything in your
view. The front closes with lattice rails, which admit the
air, and the meat in warm weather is covered with a gauzy
kind of canvas which excludes the flies. If you admire
a nice plant or bouquet, it is intimated that you can have
it at a certain price, and the fish will be sold if you fancy
any of them. Any articles you purchase are succeeded
next morning by a fresh supply. One word, however, as
to the Parisian butchers' shops. Never lodge very near one,
unless you are satisfied to lie awake from about four o'clock
in the morning. The beasts are all slaughtered at the public
"abattoirs," the carcasses are conveyed to the shops on
strong and loudly-rattling carts. The work of cutting up,

% o

450 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

cleaving, sawing, chopping, then commences, and to sleep,
within fifty yards of the place, is out of the question.

The transition is natural from the butcher's stall to the
poulterer and fishmonger. Their shops are far inferior in
arrangement or appearance to those of the flesh venders,
but the fowls in France are uncommonly fine, which is
ascribed to the feeding being finished with maize and
milk. I would back Paris against London for a Christmas
turkey or pair of fowl. Truffles are an addition seldom
seen at our tables, but a splendid turkey would be con-
sidered in France, a very ill-treated bird, if it went to the
spit unaccompanied by the honors of a truffle-stuffing.
I may here incidentally mention that I have seen flocks of
turkeys at St. Germain en Laye, and also in different parts
of Normandy and Brittany, feeding eagerly on haws picked
from the foot-stalks and crushed in wooden troughs.
What numbers of turkeys might be fed in Ireland by a
similar process ! Fish, in Paris, is scarcely ever of first'
rate quality, and it is always dear. They eat many kinds
which we seldom touch. Carp, tench, and perch are fre-
quently to be seen at table, and the gudgeon is used to an
extent calculated to surprise a Dublin man, in the vicinity
of whose city it is most abundant, but at whose repasts it
is unknown.

THE SEINE.

The Seine, which at Paris is a considerable river, not
being affected by any tide, and also being protected from
the access of such quantities of filth as are conveyed into
the Liffey by our public sewers, presents always a clear,
and sometimes a limpid, appearance. The banks are a
great school of practical patience. There may be seen
numerous anglers watching the floats of their lines, and

The Seine. 451

tranquilly awaiting the bite of some unwary member of
the finny tribe, whilst hours are absorbed into past time,
but without pastime — not even "one glorious nibble "
rewarding their perseverance. I have sauntered along the
quays of Paris for an hour or two almost every day, and
never saw but one capture, which was a small eel. The
proprietor of the rod and line seemed very proud of his
solitary achievement, and it was evident that he regarded
it as an unusual occurrence.

Persons who rescue others from drowning at Paris re-
ceive from some public fund, either police or municipal, a
reward of twenty francs (16s. 8d.) I have been credibly
informed that it is not an infrequent arrangement between
two scamps, that one is to fall into the river, and then the
other takes a heroic plunge, seizes the sinking victim, and
emulates the skill and courage of Cassius, when " from
the waves of Tiber he bore the troubled Caesar." But the
modern Cassius and Caesar, if the reward is attained,
devote it to a gastronomic sacrifice, and feast sumptuously
on what was so nobly acquired. A young fehiale on the
Quai Voltaire, having excited suspicion by falling too fre*
quently into the river, was told that no reward would be
given for any future salvage ; consequently the subsequent
wettings of her garments were reserved for the washing
tub.

TREES AND FLOWERS.

Perhaps the most general taste in France, amongst all
classes and conditions of people, is for ornamental trees
and flowers; you see them everywhere. On the Boule-
vards you find rows of the Oriental plane, acacia, horse-
chestnut, hickory, catalpa, maple, and various other trees.
Every nook or corner, not required for some industrial or

452 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

domestic purpose, is planted. The yards of horse reposi-
tories or forges have trees or scandent plants trained on
the walls ; and in private residences, and the enclosures
belonging to public offices, trees and flowers abound.
Balconies and window-stools display boxes and flower-
pots wherever the aspect is favorable; and even in northern
aspects the hardy ivy is encouraged to push its verdant
tendrils. In the palatial gardens and public parks, Flora
appears to be not merely the presiding, but the monopoli-
sing deity. Great care is bestowed on the cultivation of
those places ; but it is worthy of remark and imitation on
the part of strangers, that where an enormous population
have free access, without any distinction of age or class,
no trespass is committed — the blossoms are unplucked,
and the boughs unbroken. Flower shows are very fre-
quent in Paris, and are always certain of attracting a
numerous and fashionable assemblage. I have attended
on many such occasions ; and my candid judgment of the
gardens and horticultural exhibitions I have seen is, that
profusion and mediocrity appear to be their leading char-
acteristics. I can freely and fairly acknowledge that
many of the choicest productions of our gardens, our best
fruits and finest flowers, have been originally derived from
France; but our cultivation, whether of trees or plants,
results in a decided superiority. However, I have seen a
vast deal worthy of admiration in their horticulture, and I
hope that speedy improvement will attend their future
labors. I shall now close my horticultural remarks with
an anecdote which I ascertained to be strictly true.

A PRETTY THIEF.

.In 1864 there was a show of fruits and flowers in the Rue
de la Chausee-d* Antin, and the proprietor of a suburban

A Pretty Thief. 453

«

nursery exhibited a collection of orchidesy grown and-
blown to perfection. One flower was of surpassing size
and beauty, and was deservedly considered the gem of the
exhibition. On the second day, a young woman of pre-
possessing appearance, whose attire and manner indicated*
that she belonged to the industrial class, appeared to be
quite enchanted by the splendid orchis, arid her encomiums,
and perhaps her good looks, attracted the attention of the
exhibitor. He paid her some gallant compliments, and
ventured to inquire her name.

Monsieur, it is in the catalogue."
Then, Mademoiselle, it must be ( Rose ;' you are
indeed worthy of the same designation as the pride of our
parterres."

" Monsieur is right in his conjectures as to my name>
but he is mistaken in the comparison by which he compli-
ments me so greatly."

" May I persume to ask where Mademoiselle resides ?"
" I live, Monsieur in the Rue d'Amsterdam, No. — ."
"1 indulge the pleasing hope that Mademoiselle may
permit me to have the honour of calling on her."

" Monsieur confers a great honour on me, I shall have
much pleasure in receiving his visit."

The horticulturist became completely enamoured ; he
redoubled his compliments, and eventually requested
Mademoiselle to remain in care of his flowers whilst he
procured some ice and other delicacies for her refection.
When he returned, Rose had disappeared, and with her
his magnificent orchis had departed. The plant remained,
but the stem was severed near the root, and the display o£
its loveliness was adjourned for at least twelve months.
Furiously indignant, he denounced the pretty Rose as a>
thief. Proceeding quickly to the Rue d'Amsterdam, he

454 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

found that the numbers of the houses stopped short by one
of the number mentioned by her. He was despoiled, and
had no available remedy . Towards the close of the next
day, he was contemplating his stand, lamenting the loss
of its greatest attraction, and recounting to his sympa-
thising friends the circumstances of the spoliation, when a
box and a note were delivered to him by a porter, who had
been employed to convey them from a neighbouring street
The note was as follows : —

" Monsieur,

"You displayed too great a temptation to an ardent admirer of
beautiful flowers. From the moment I beheld your orchis I determined
that its artificial reproduction should not fall to the lot of any rival artiste.
In the accompanying box you may behold your flower ; and if you place
it upon the stem, it will not wither for a considerable time. Receive,
Monsieur, the assurance of my lasting respect and gratitude.

" Rose."

The box contained an artificial orchis, so exactly resem-
bling the stolen flower, that it would deceive the* closest
observer. It was placed upon the stand, and passed off
admirably. The fair delinquent was not detected — indeed
the search for her was not rigorously pursued — but copies
of the abstracted orchis gained a general and deserved
pre-eminence amongst the artificial flowers which graced
the fashionable female dresses of the succeeding season.

FRENCH WIT.

Some of the lighter literary productions of the French
press afford to a reader abundant instances of pithy and
witty expressions. A stranger who has not been habituated
to the language, and accustomed to think in it as well as
to speak it, will be very likely to allow many sparkles of

French Wit. 455

conversational wit to escape his notice, and may conse-
quently impute more dulness to the social circle in which
he mingles than he is justified in ascribing. I am sure
that many ebullitions of genius totally escaped my obser-
vation, but I recollect an expression addressed to me by a
cab-driver which I cannot omit relating. I had walked
down the Rue St. Florentine towards the Place de la Con-
corde, when in turning the corner at which I had arrived,
the driver accidently let his whip fall. It lay just at my
feet, I took it up and handed it to the owner, who respect-
fully touched his hat and said, " I thank you, sir ; I hope
that whenever misfortune {malheitr) meets you, he'll lose
his whip."

FRENCH SILVER,

I often thought, during my Parisian sojourn, that the
instability of human dynasties was strongly evidenced by
a handful of French silver, a coinage which has been left
to public currency from the end of the last century. I
met with coins of the old Republic, of Bonaparte, First
Consul; Napoleon, Emperor ; Louis XVI 1 1., Charles X.,
Louis Philippe, the French Republics again, and Napoleon
III. The silver coins of the Republic immediately pre-
ceding the last empire, have on the obverse, "Liberty.
Egalite. Fraternite." I remarked to a shopkeeper in the
Rue de Bac, that it was very strange the Imperial govern-
ment left the coin of the Republic still in circulation. He
took up a five-franc piece, and said, "Liberty point. Egalite
point. Fraternity point." The forcible wit of his expression
consisted in the double meaning which may be assigned
to "point" It signifies a full stop or period, but taken as
an adverb, it may be understood to denote " Liberty, not
at all ; Equality, not at all ; Fraternity, not at all/'

456 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

THE HOTEL DES INVALIDES.

There is no institution more worthy of a visit from a
tourist than the Hotel des Invalides at Paris An addi-
tional interest has been imparted to it since the remains
of the first Napoleon have been deposited in a magnificent
mausoleum immediately adjoining. In the front of the
building, ranged along the. terrace, and also on the eastern
and western sides, were a considerable number of cannon,
captured in war. I saw guns of Russian, Chinese, Dutch,
Austrian, Prussian, and Moorish origin; but amongst
them all I do not believe that the English artillery would
find an old acquaintance. When you enter the church,
your attention is immediately arrested by the flags of
various nations pendant from the walls to your right and
left, and placed there as captured trophies. On the left
hangs an English flag. I asked, on four different occa-
sions, and of different persons, where this color had been
taken, The invariable reply was " Leipsic." I thought
this very extraordinary, having always supposed that no
English were at Leipsic, except a troop of the Rocket
Brigade, and certainly they did not carry a color.

The Hotel des Invalides was under the direction of the
Minister of War; and in the library of the War Office
I have seen several rolls and registries of its former in-
mates. In such as relate to the period between 1700 and
1775, Irish names are not infrequent; Byrne, Bryan,
Carty, Cavanagh, Dunne, Delany, Keogh, Kelly, Corcoran,
Quin, Purcell, Redmond, Sullivan, &c, appear to attest
the services and sufferings of the Irish Brigade. There
are not many "OV; and I am inclined to believe that
in several instances that prefix was laid aside purposely.
Scotch names occur, hut not at all in such frequency as

The Hotel des Invalides. 457

Irish. Of the occupiers of this splendid military asylum,
I can safely affirm that I found them extremely civil, and
by no means reserved in their communications. They
were proud of their Institution and of the profession
with which it was connected ; but their conversations
exhibited the human character in some thoroughly pre-
judiced phases. I did not meet amongst the veterans
even one individual who had .served under "The Em-
peror," and only three or four who had ever seen him ;
but all were well versed in the traditions of his military
achievements. I had become intimate with Monsieur
Turpin, the librarian of the War Office, who understood
English perfectly, and he appeared to enjoy, as much as
I did, frequent visits to the Invalides, and the peculiar
feelings or sentiments expressed by the old soldiers, es-
pecially regarding the policy adopted by Napoleon, and
the political and military operations to which he had re-
course for the extension of French power throughout the
world. It was almost an article of faith amongst them,
that Napoleon was never conquered by any of his nume-
rous adversaries. They could not admit that he ever com-
mitted a military, mistake, or was guilty of a moral wrong.
In ' Russia, he was repelled by the frost and snow. At
Leipsic he suffered a reverse by the premature explosion
of a mine. At Waterloo he was sold. At Paris he was
betrayed. It was politically expedient for Napoleon to
imprison Ferdinand of Spain, when he entered France as
a suitor for the hand of his sister, Pauline ; but it was
infamous to send Napcleon to St. Helena. It was a noble
idea for Napoleon to collect the choicest works of art from
every capital on the Continent into the museum of the
Louvre; but that their original owners should take them
back was robbery. It was glorious to recollect that the

458 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

victorious eagle of France had triumphantly entered Ma-
drid, Lisbon, Berlin, Rome, Vienna, Milan, Naples,
Munich, Venice, Hamburg, and Moscow; but that the
European powers should ever think of returning the visit —
that the Russians should have threatened to shell Paris
from the heights of Montmartre — that the Prussians
should have encamped in the Bois de Boulogne, and the
English in the Champs Elysees, was a degradation, an
insult never to be forgotten nor forgiven. After all, per-
haps, these Frenchmen are fair specimens of human vanity,
of human resentments, and only think and speak as we
would think and speak if we had, like them, to revert to a
series of astonishing military successes, terminating in our
complete discomfiture.

«,\<■>rNl-«/«^r^.',' <"\>*.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

GAIN PREFERRED TO GLORY — CURIOUS INSCRIP-
TION FORMER GAMBLING AN ASSAULT

FRENCH CHARITY A LETTER TO HEAVEN

FATHER PROUT.

When a stranger surveys the military asylum for the
maimed or aged soldiers — when he beholds the triumphal
arch [Pare de PEtoile) at the higher termination of the
Champs ElysSes, erected at the almost incredible cost of
^417,812, to commemorate the achievements of the
French armies — when he contemplates the column in the
Place Vendome, towering to the height of 135 feet, and
cased with bas reliefs, of which 360,000 pounds weight of
captured cannon supplied the material — when he observes
large and frequent bodies of troops marching with beat
of drum to various posts — when he finds it impossible to
glance at any crowded street, or enter any place of public
resort or recreation, without beholding the uniforms of,
perhaps, every branch of the service, he is almost forced
to the conclusion that the bent of the French disposition,
and the genius of the nation, is essentially military. How-
ever, I believe that an observant and reflecting mind will
notice many points in the French character of an unmili-
tary tendency. Whenever a campaign or expedition becomes

460 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

the subject of conversation in a French circle, the first con-
sideration is, How much will it cost, and what shall we
gain ? Solferino and Magenta are prized more as having
annexed Nice, than for the laurels they conferred on French
valor. I frequently visited the triumphal arch to which
I have already adverted ; and on one occasion I was struck
by the remark of a Frenchman in reference to the enor-
mous sum it cost, and also to the surprising fact, that
although the names of more than ninety victories are in-
scribed on its interior walls, not one of those places was
then in the possession of the victorious power.

CURIOUS INSCRIPTION.

On the 15th of August, 1864, the birth day of the first
Napoleon, the fete of the Bonaparte family was celebrated
by various public demonstrations. The rails surrounding
the base of the column in the Place Vendome were
decorated with violet- colored ribbons and wreaths of
Immortelles. Amongst them I observed a large oval
tablet richly bordered, and bearing an inscription in Italian,
which I transcribe and translate, leaving its applicability
to the character of the first Napoleon to the calm and
dispassionate judgment of all acquainted with the history
of Europe from the time of his appearance at the siege of
Toulon to the subversion of his power at Waterloo —

" A Te, essere il piu maraviglioso della creazione, il cielo conceda quella
pace che ti neg6 la malvagita degli uomini."

>' To you, the most wonderful being of the creation, heaven grants that
peace which the waywardness of mankind denied you."

Former Gambling. 461

FORMER GAMBLING.

Gambling houses, formerly so perniciously abundant
in Paris, have been rigorously suppressed by the govern-
ment for a considerable time past. High play is carried
on still in various phases of society, but as it is furtive
and illicit, its dupes and victims are very limited compared
with the thousands who were ruined when the vice was
tolerated by the public authorities. The Palais Royal was,
about forty years ago, the head-quarters of Parisian gaming,
and every season produced a crop of suicides. The usual
course was for the ruined gamester to pledge or sell his
watch or trinkets, buy a pistol at a gunmaker's shop in
the piazza, charge it, cross the rails into the parterre, and
blow out his brains ; but such incidents did not stop the
play; they merely produced a few shrugs of the shoulders,
and the observation, " His game is up.*' ,

There is an old gentleman in Dublin who resides so
near my house that I see him almost every day. About
the time to which I refer, he was in the confidential
employment of a most respectable firm of solicitors, and
one morning he was apprised by the senior partner that
it was intended to send him to Paris, to have certain deeds
executed. He was to be aHowed liberally for his expenses,
and to be permitted, as a reward for his previous good
conduct, to spend ten days or a fortnight: in the French
metropolis. He arrived in Paris at night, arose early next
morning, and betook himself at once to the business with
which he was entrusted. He was so fortunate as to find
all the required parties, and in a few hours had all (he
deeds perfected. He then went off in quest of amuse-
ment, and having met an acquaintance, was ultimately
brought to the Palais Royal, and entered one of the

462 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

principal gaming-houses. He looked on for a while, and
then ventured a stake of a few gold pieces ; he won, tried
again, and was successful. He continued to play with
such good fortune, that at the termination of the sitting,
he had won upwards of one thousand ponnds. He went
to his hotel, took some rest, paid his bill, and set off with
all haste for Dublin. His employers were surprised at his
speedy return, and he told them what had occurred, adding
that he would not trust himself another night in Paris.
His was a solitary instance of good luck and prudence ; for
with thousands of others a similar gain would have only
been the precursor of final and irretrievable ruin.

AN ASSAULT.

At the suggestion of an intimate friend, who was in
Paris during the time of my residence there, I shall
mention an incident of an extraordinary and very disagree-
able nature, arising entirely from an expression used by
me to a young woman possessed of considerable personal
attractions, but also having a most fearful and ungovern-
able temper, without the least intention on my part to
excite her feelings. I went into a shop in the Champs
Elysees, to purchase some stationery, snuff, postage
stamps, &c, and was supplied by the young woman, to
whom I handed a twenty franc gold piece for her to take
four francs and give me the change. Belgian silver coins
were at the time very freely circulated; but Swiss silver was
considered to be alloyed most unreasonably, and when
recognised was invariably rejected. The damsel gave me
eight pieces, each of two francs, and I observed that on
two of them the Helvetian or Swiss designation was
impressed. I immediately remarked that Mademoiselle
had been subjected to a Swiss deception, (une trompervi

An Assault. 463

Suisse J when she exclaimed, " Accursed Englishman, you
are a liar," at the same time throwing a heavy canister at
me, knocking off my hat, and following up that hostile
proceeding by flinging a flask of oil in the same direction.
The latter did not strike me, but broke a large square of
glass in a side window looking into the Rue de l'Oratoire.
Her brother-in-law, who was proprietor of the concern,
seized her, and prevented any further violence; but the
abusive language continued for some minutes. Finally I
succeeded in getting the Swiss silver replaced by two
pieces of French coinage, and left after declaring my
intention to prosecute my assailant. The proprietor con-
tented himself by declaring that the affair was a mere
" mistake ;" and he certainly seemed more annoyed by
having his window smashed than by the misconduct
evinced towards me. Subsequently I was informed that
the young woman had been engaged in some courtship or
amatory correspondence with a Swiss, who had terminated
the affair by an abrupt departure without any previous
notice. The angry damsel referred my expression, not to
the money, but to the man, and I relinquished any
attempt to make her responsible for the treatment I had
received in consequence of her hasty " mistake."

FRENCH CHARITY.

In the foregoing observations I have not hesitated to
refer to some faults, vanities, and unreasonable expecta-
tions which attracted my attention during my residence in
Paris. I shall now offer a few remarks and a little narrative
connected with one of the noblest virtues that can elevate
and adorn human nature, and which I believe to exist in
the French character to a degree far beyond what would
be imagined by the travellers whose brief visits enable

464 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

them to take only transient or superficial views of French
society. There is no civilized nation more charitable than
the French. They have no legalised and established
system of poor laws, but their cities abound with benevo-
lent institutions, and the requirements of helpless age or
unprotected infancy are never disregarded. There is no lack
of charity in any class — even the rag-pickers will share their
slender means in alleviating human suffering. Amongst
the more affluent there is very little mediocrity of religious
feeling ; they are generally devout or indifferent, but very few
are uncharitable. The means of relief for the suffering of
indigence are almost always administered through religious
agencies ; and the mercy that is manifested in a generous
and unostentatious succour of the poor, exemplifies very
frequently the words of Shakespeare —

" It blesseth him that gives and him that takes/1

For many of those who were indifferent to religion, but
disposed to charity, have been themselves caught, reformed,
and reconciled through the energies which they employed
for relieving the necessities of others.

A LETTER TO HEAVEN.

Connected with the subject of French charity, I shall
introduce the narrative of an incident of 1864, and I had
several interviews and conversations of a very agreeable
nature with the little heroine of the tale.

In one of the small old streets which adjoin the market
of St. Honore, upon the upper floor of a house built some
centuries ago, the family of a poor workman were struck
by a most fearful affliction. Not only had the wife been
unable to rise from a bed of sickness for a considerable

A Letter to Heaven. 465

time, but the husband, the only support of her five chil-
dren, had, by a sudden accident, been, so disabled as to be
stretched in utter helplessness and acute suffering. What
was to be done ? Where were the helpless creatures to
find subsistence ?

Amongst the children of this hapless couple there
was a little blue-eyed, fair complexioned girl ; she was
lively, intelligent, and interesting, and had been for a
short time attending a public school; but now she was-
obliged to remain at home to give her puny care to her
sick parents. Afflicted by the misfortune of her father,
and assailed even by hunger, she instinctively sought a
remedy.

" When you are in trouble you should apply to the Good
God ; the sister at the school tells us so. Well, I shall
address the Good God. I shall write a nice letter, such as
my mother made me write to my godmother last Sunday.
I have a bit of paper and a pen."

No sooner said than done. Whilst her parents are
in an uneasy slumber, she scribbles a note abound-
ing in blots, in which she implores of the Good God
to restore their health, and to send some bread for her
little brothers and herself. Then she slips out, runs at
once to Saint-Roch, and supposing that the alms-box
for the poor was the letter-box of the Good God, she
approached it with timidity, and in the hope that she was
not seen.

At this moment an aged and respectable lady was
leaving the church. She was behind the little girl, and
seeing her approach the alms-box stealthily, and supposing
her actuated by some culpable motive, she caught hold of
her arm.

" What are you doing, you unfortunate child ?"

2 H

466 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

The little girl, surprised and affrighted, cast down her
streaming eyes, but being kindly and mildly questioned by
the lady, she recounted her sad story, and showed the
letter which she wished to send to heaven.

The good lady, moved with compassion, consoled the
poor child, and taking the paper, said —

" Leave me your letter ; I take upon myself to forward
it to its destination."

Then she immediately added, u But have you put your
address, to receive the answer ?"

The child, who looked upon the lady with the utmost
astonishment, answered, a No, Madam ; but the sister at
my school tells us that the Good God knows every-
thing/'

" And she has told you the truth, my child," said the
lady, smiling ; " but those whom He may charge to deliver
the answer may not know as well as He does."

The child then stated where her poor parents lived, re-
ceived two francs from the lady, and with a joyous heart
betook herself back to the wretched garret.

In the morning she found at her door a large hamper
containing clothes, provisions, and some money. A
label was affixed, inscribed, "The answer of the Good
God."

A gentleman named McCarthy, eminent for his medical
skill, and also much respected for his generous and
benevolent disposition, soon after, at the instance of
the charitable lady, visited the poor sufferers. He was
one of those Irishmen whose talents and worth attained
to high professional positions in Paris. He speedily
cured the man, and considerably alleviated the sufferings
of the woman. He allowed me to accompany him two
or three times whilst attending the humble denizens of

A Letter to Heaven. 467

the garret, from whence charity had removed misery and
despair, and on those occasions I found the little girl fully
convinced, and most earnestly insisting, that the answer
of the Good God must have been brought by one of His
angels.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

FATHER PROUT.

I had, during my residence in Paris, the supreme grati-
fication of being honored with the intimacy of the Rev.
Francis Mahony, whose nom de plume of " Father Prout "
is suggestive of a complete union of learning, wit, and
poetic power, without the slightest alloy of pedantry,
acerbity, or vanity. I was a very frequent visitor at his
apartments in the Rue du Moulin, and was never denied
admission. If he was writing, I did not accost him, but
sat down, taking up a newspaper or book, and remain-
ing silent until he found himself at leisure either to chat
at home, or to saunter out through the parks or gardens,
museums or libraries. I repeatedly thanked him for the
unrestricted access thus granted, and his invariable reply
was " Come whenever you please, you never interrupt
me." He was the correspondent of a London evening
paper, The Globe and Traveller, and I do not think that
he relished the occupation, for his conversation scarcely
ever indicated a political tendency, and I never knew him
to introduce a topic involving political or religious differ-
ences. At the time to which I refer, the war was raging
between the northern and southern states of America;

Father Prout. 469

and the only opinion that I ever heard Father Mahony
express on the subject was not favorable to the cause of
either side as regarded its merits, but to the effect, that
whatever might be the issue of the contest, the belligerent
states would never become again united in firm and
enduring friendship. He formed this conclusion from the
deadly hatred and vengeful denunciations evinced by great
numbers of Americans of both parties who were then in
Paris, and amongst whom the females were the most un-
compromising and persistently truculent in their expres-
sions. It remains for time to confirm or confute his pre-
diction ; I pass to one or two anecdotes of this gifted and
amiable individual, which* I hope my readers will consider
interesting. I had made an appointment with him to
have a ramble in the French capital, or its environs, and
twelve o'clock was the hour fixed for its commencement.
Some unforeseen circumstances, however, delayed my
arrival at his residence until another hour had nearly
elapsed. When I apologised for my failure in punctuality,
Father Mahony said that he had employed the interval in
jotting down suggestions as to the direction which our
proposed saunter might take, for my consideration and
decision. They were as follow : —

To the Bois de Boulogne shall we wander to-day,

Or visit the tomb where Napoleon reposes,
Or ascend Notre Dame, from its tow'rs to survey

The scene unsurpassed which that prospect discloses ?

From Boulevards crowded our steps may diverge,
If we wish at the Bourse* to see bright or long faces,

As some bubbles rise, or as others may merge
In the vortex where Hope vainly looks for their traces.

* The Parisian Stock Exchange.

47<> Gleanings and Reminiscences.

Shall we seek the Pantheon's vast edifice, where

An echo to thunder converts every sound,
From vaults* in whose precincts the bones of Voltaire

Were so carefully stow'd that they cannot be found ?

Or the Luxembourg Palace, with gardens, where grow
The roses so varied, throughout the whole year ;

And you see on each side statued queens in a row,
Their costumes antique looking cold and severe.

To the Louvre's magnificent halls shall we hie,
Where art's choicest gems require days to explore them ;

Where dynasties past seem around us to lie,

Whilst emblems Imperial are triumphing o'er them ?

Shall we visit St Cloud, and continue our course

To Versailles, where a palace exemplifies all
That monarchical pride from its serfs could enforce,

Till their patience exhausted accomplish 'd its fall ?

If at Sevres we pause to admire for awhile

Its plastic productions of classical taste,
We shall see the sole work that the Pompadour's smile

Ever sanction'd that was not impure and debased.

We should not forget St. Germain, and its claims
On a stranger's attention * • •

The last place mentioned in this unfinished production
was chosen ; and after viewing the tomb of James the
Second of England, the church, to the vaults of which the
mortal remains of many French monarchs had been
consigned, the old palace, and the exquisitely beautiful
scenery of its vicinity, I prevailed on my estimable friend
to become my only guest at the Prince of Wales' (Le
Prince de Galles) Hotel and Tavern, where we had what
he designated "a sumptuous dinner/' the entire charge

* The^door of this vault, when clapped, produces a noise fully equal to
the report of a heavy cannon. The general opinion is, that the bones of
Voltaire were abstracted and burnt, soon after the restoration of Louis the
Eighteenth.

Father Prout. 471

for which was defrayed by seven francs (5s. iod.) How
sumptuous !

During another stroll I happened to express very great
admiration of the poetic productions of Gray; and in
reference to his " Elegy written in a country churchyard/'
ventured to term it the finest composition of the elegiac
class in the English language. Father Mahony praised it
highly, but disagreed as to its merits being superior to
every other production of the kind. He then stated that
about the middle of the last century, a native of Dublin,
named John Cunningham, who was a comic actor, pub-
lished a volume of poems, and dedicated them to David
Garrick. They were chiefly pastoral, but amongst them
was an €t An Elegy on a pile of Ruins," composed, he
believed, on Rosslyn Abbey and Rosslyn Castle; and he
then repeated several verses which I considered very
beautiful, and which he declared to be equal, in his esti-
mation, to the poetic merits of Gray's Elegy. I asked if
he could lend me the work, and he replied that he had
never seen it except at a public library in Cork. Soon
after my return to Dublin I saw on a bookstand at Aston's .
Quay, a copy, which I purchased, for a. shilling, and thus
became enabled to quote the verses to which my very
learned friend ascribed such excellence,. They are exr
tremely alliterative —

In the full prospect yonder hill commands,

O'er barren heaths and cultivated plains ;
The vestige of an ancient abbey stands,

Close by a ruin'd castle's rude remains.

Half buried, there, lie many a broken bust,
And obelisk, and urn, o'erthrown by Time ;.

And many a cherub,. there, descends in dust
From the rent roof,. and. portico sublime.

472 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

Where reverend shrines in Gothic grandeur stood,
The nettle, or the noxious night-shade, spreads ;

And ashlings, wafted from the neighbouring wood,
Through the worn turrets wave their trembling heads.

There Contemplation, to the crowd unknown

Her attitude composed, and aspect sweet I
Sits musing on a monumental stone,

And points to the memento at her feet.

Soon as sage ev'ning check'd day's sunny pride,

I left the mantling shade, in moral mood ;
And seated by the maid's sequestered side,

Pensive, the mould'ring monuments I view'd.

Inexorably calm, with silent pace

Here Time has pass'd — What ruin marks his way !
This pile, now crumbling o'er its hallow'd base,

Turn'd not his step, nor could his course delay.

Religion raised her supplicating eyes

In vain ; and Melody, her song sublime :
In vain, Philosophy with maxims wise,

Would touch the cold unfeeling heart of Time.

Yet the hoar tyrant, tho' not moved to spare,
Relented when he struck its finish'd pride ;

And partly the rude ravage to repair,

The tott'ring tow'rs with twisted Ivy tied.

The eight verses which I have quoted from " An Elegy
on a Pile of Ruins/' are not consecutive in that production.
It may appear extraordinary that Father Mahony should
make such long quotations with perfect correctness, but
to those who knew him a misquotation or deficiency of
recollection on his part would seem far more surprising.

CHAPTER XXXV.

A FRENCH LAND MURDER IRISHMEN, FRENCH

ECCLESIASTICS ALGERIAN PRODUCTIONS BIRD

CHARMING BRITTANY CHATEAUBRIAND.

Whilst sojourning in Paris I became acquainted with an
avocat, named Vanneau, who practised in a provincial
district, and who came to stay, for a few days, at the
boarding-honse in the Rue de POratoire in which I was
located. He had been recently engaged in defending
persons charged with criminal acts, and narrated a case
by which it appeared that Ireland had not a monopoly of
land murders. A M. Deneubourg had purchased, at
Cambray, a piece of land near Ewars, occupied by a
farmer, named Potiez, who had offered for the property,
but was outbid by Deneubourg. In the evening of the
day of sale, the two men, on their way home, met at a
house of entertainment at Ramillies, and some very angry
language passed between them. They left the house, and
in some time Potiez returned to Ramillies, and stated
that they had been attacked on the road, that he had saved
himself by flight, but he feared Deneubourg had been
murdered by the villains who had assailed them. On

474 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

proceeding to the place described, Deneubourg was found
horribly murdered. His head was smashed to small
pieces, and to a club which was found near the body a
portion of his brains and two of his teeth were adhering.
There were no footprints on the soft ground except what
corresponded to the shoes of the deceased or of Potiez,
and the dress of the latter was marked with blood.
Various other circumstances fully indicated the guilt of
Potiez. He was convicted, but was not sentenced
to death. The French jury found him guilty of the
murder, under attenuating circumstances. I asked Monsieur
Vanneau what attenuating circumstances could the jury
discover in so brutal a murder, and he gravely replied
that they thought an accepted offer for the purchase of
the property, outbidding that of the occupying tenant,
was a very strong provocation and a natural incitement
to revenge. He then added that Potiez was fortunate in
being tried by a jury on which there was not a landed
proprietor or an auctioneer.

IRISHMEN — FRENCH ECCLESIASTICS.

I met in Paris with some Irishmen holding ecclesiastical
appointments there, and I gratefully recollect their kind
and hospitable attentions. One of them, Pere M'Ardle,
was attached to the church of St. Sulpice, which was
much frequented by Irish, English, and American Roman
Catholics. His duties consisted in the celebration of
Mass, hearing confessions, visiting the sick, &c. ; but he
never preached, the pulpit being reserved for clergymen
who could deliver sermons in French with the ease and
fluency incident to their native language. The side aisles
of the church were appropriated to persons of respectable
appearance, who were expected to pay six sous for each

Irishmen — French Ecclesiastics. 475

chair provided for their accommodation. The chairs were
under the management of some female attendants, who
were most persistent in collecting the chair-rent. On
Whitsunday, 1864, a soldier entered one of the aisles and
took possession of a chair, without the intention, and
probably without the means, of paying for its use. He
was immediately required to pay the usual charge, or to
leave the aisle and join the general crowd in the centre,
and he obstinately refused to adopt either course. Whilst
the altercation was proceeding, the Cur& of St. Sulpice
had entered from the street, and was passing quietly to the
sacristy to make the necessary arrangements for preaching
the sermon. He touched the soldier gently on the shoulder,
and whispered, " My friend, pay her trifling demand ; here
is what will enable you to procure the same accommoda-
tion for a considerable time/' Slipping a five-franc piece
into the soldier's hand, he passed on and discharged the
duty which he had undertaken. On the next Sunday,
(Trinity,) the Cure was confined to bed by a severe attack
of bronchitis, and another ecclesiastic preached, and after-
wards went to the apartment of the invalid to afford his
sympathy and express hopes of a speedy recovery. The
Cure almost immediately asked him if he had observed a
soldier amongst the congregation, to which the other
replied that there were more than a dozen soldiers lis-
tening to the sermon, and they subsequently came to the
sacristy, where, on being asked what they required, they
replied, "Only the money ." On being told that there
was no money for them, they expressed some anger and
great disappointment, as they had been led to believe by a
comrade that they would get five francs each.

On one occasion I was a spectator of a procession of
French bishops from the college of St. Sulpice to the

476 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

church. Amongst them there was one Irishman, Mon«
seigneur Cruise ; he was the bishop of Marseilles.

ALGERIAN PRODUCTIONS.

From the abundance and variety of Algerian produc-
tions which I beheld in the Parisian markets, it appeared
to me that the country from which they were supplied
possessed great capability of soil and climate, and received
a high degree of cultivation. The finest Muscat grapes,
both as to size and flavor, melons, pomegranates, shad-
docks, and all the lesser varieties of the citron tribe,
almonds, brinjals, sweet potatoes, and what was a very
novel sight to an Irish eye in October, splendid straw-
berries, met my view in several shops entirely appropriated
to the sale of Algerian commodities. I confidently hope
that French enterprise will be eventually far more success-
ful in Africa than it was on the other side of the Atlantic.
Few of the most valuable productions of the West Indies
are indigenous. They were first introduced by the French
into St. Domingo, and that island was the first to escape
from European ownership. When the sugar-cane was
brought from Egypt, the coffee bush from Arabia, and
luscious fruits and stimulating spices from various lands,
the negro was imported from Africa, to be eventually the
master of all. However, the stain of slavery does not
attach to the French rule in Algeria, and from all that I
was able to learn of their government there, I know no
reason why all who are desirous of the substitution of
civilization instead of piracy and tyranny should not wish
it to be permanently successful.

Bird Charming. 477

BIRD CHARMING.

In closing my Parisian recollections, I wish to notice
what was termed " Bird Charming" in the gardens of the
Tuileries. There was a silly notion amongst some people
there that by the agency of animal magnetism, or by some
peculiar power, the feathered tenants of the woods and
shrubberies of the palace became familiar with particular
persons, and the subject was specially mentioned in Le
Monde Illustre. It was certainly very curious to see the
sparrows flocking about a person, eating from his hand,
and perching on his hat in expectation of the crumbs
which he was distributing; but it was far more extraordi-
nary to see the woodquest (le pigeon sauvage) come from
his lofty nest, alight at your feet, then perch on an ad-
joining rail, and pick the crumbs from between your
fingers. Still the " charming" was a misconception. „ The
birds were in a place where they felt secure ; they were
not shot at or frightened, but they were petted and fed,
and accordingly became familiar. I had no magnetic or
mesmeric influence, but I had some nice bread, and they
came down and eat from my hand, and some sparrows
even took morsels from between my lips. Le Monde
Illustre noticed two occasions on two consecutive days,
when the birds were plentifully fed, and their feeders were
described in terms, of which the following is a very literal
translation : —

"A young man of genteel demeanor, his head un-
covered and slightly thrown back, called the birds, which
came fluttering around him, and took, even from between
his lips, the morsels of bread which he offered them. We
wished to discover the secret of this curious proceeding,
and returned at the same hour on the following day. We

478 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

experienced a great disappointment ; for, instead of a man
young and prepossessing, we beheld ' a charmer/ old and
wrinkled, no sparkle in his eye, no expression in his looks.
He began by throwing into the little railed arbours some
morsels, quickly devoured by the bold sparrows. Then,
having gradually attracted them, he kept in his hand a
further supply of bread, and from the thickets of shrubs,
and from the surrounding trees, finally from all quarters of
the garden, birds of various species came flocking and
fluttering around him. Attaining to a degree of crescendo
between him and his feathered guests, he finished by
having them perched on his shoulders, and picking the
crumbs from between his lips/'

Who could the individual have been, thus designated as
old, wrinkled, unsparkling, and inexpressive ? Oh ! I hope
that none of my readers will suppose or suspect that such
terms were applied to me. I should prefer being con-
sidered t€ a young man of genteel demeanor, " but if the
other description appears more suitable or probable, then
— " What can't be cured must be endured."

BRITTANY.

I left the French capital after a very agreeable residence
of eighteen months, and, previous to returning to my
native city, availed myself of an invitation from a kind and
hospitable friend to pass a month with him at a delightful
villa in Brittany, about a couple of miles from St. Malo.
Amongst the people of this locality, I observed a vast dis-
similitude to the corresponding classes in Paris. Display,
and the excitement incident to the metropolitan require-
ments of frequent and varied amusements, appeared to
have very slight attractions for the Bretons, whose pursuits
and habits were mostly directed to the acquisition and

Brittany. 479

enjoyment of public advantages and domestic comforts.
Their soil did not appear to me to be superior to the
generality of that which I have seen in the southern half
of Ireland ; nor did I consider their climate more genial
during the time of my visit, which comprised the latter
half of August and the next half of September, Their
exports of orchard fruits, butter, eggs, and poultry, from
the port of St. Malo, were enormous in quantity, and, I
believe, unexceptionable in quality. The external appear-
ance of their firkins and other packages was extremely
neat and cleanly, and the butter was liable to inspection
previous to its shipment. I was informed by the English
Consul that the exportation of butter amounted in the year
to twenty-five thousand firkins, and the fowls exceeded
one million. On the lands which I had opportunities of
viewing in Brittany, I saw very large crops of rape, the
seed of which was intended to be crushed for the produc-
tion of oil, and I have been in three concerns where the
rape oil was filtered through charcoal, and thus clarified
and qualified for our use as " Colza . oil." Buckwheat
(bit noirj is considered a valuable crop, and is much used
for feeding poultry. The sugar-beet {betterave jaune) is
often to be seen, but is generally mistaken by strangers
for mangold wurtzel. But the most extraordinary pro-
duction is one which we could cultivate fully as well and
as profitably as the Bretons can, if we were permitted on
any terms. I have seen many acres, even on one farm,
thickly covered with tobacco growing most luxuriantly.
Why cannot we see it on the Irish soil ? Why is it utterly
prohibited here i

During the wars of the French Revolution and of the
first empire, St. Malo was a port almost exclusively appro-
priated to the outfit and employment of privateers. Few

480 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

of their cruises were eminently successful ; but the greatest
prize stated to have been acquired was a large ship, belong-
ing to the English East India Company, which was captured
in very foggy weather between Jersey and Southampton.
The cargo consisted of the choicest Indian produce, and
there was also a very large amount of specie on board.
This affair realized an ample fortune for the proprietor of
the privateer, who retired from any further speculation in
or connection with maritime operations, whether forcible
or otherwise, and invested his gains in the purchase of a
fine estate in the vicinity of St. Malo. During my visit I
was at several delightful entertainments given by families
with whom my friend was on intimate terms; and at one,
in St. Servan, a conversation arose relative to the great
injury inflicted on the commercial navy of the Northern
American States by Southern privateers. One gentleman
stigmatized such proceedings as utterly disgraceful, and
insisted that no nation should ever promote or even
countenance nefarious attack on private property, and the
consequent ruin of unarmed and non-belligerent parties.
I was much amused when, on our way home from the
repast, my friend informed me that the indignant denuncia-
tion of privateers was uttered by the possessor of the
estate acquired by the capture of the Indiaman, the grand-
son of the proprietor of the fortunate cruiser.

The religious tendencies of the people of St. Malo formed
a very great contrast to those of the Parisians. In these
pages I shall not intentionally introduce a word of a con-
troversial or sectarian nature; but I may remark that
whilst in the metropolis, public and private works and
commercial avocations were unscrupulously pursued on
Sundays; whilst the bricklayer, carpenter, and slater,
plied their trades, and numerous carts supplied them with

Brittany. 481

building materials, the provincial town was as still and
as quiet as the most rigorous observer of the Sabbath could
require in our cities or towns. I went into St. Malo on
a Sunday when the procession of Corpus Christi passed
through the principal streets, and it appeared to me to
produce amongst all classes most devotional effects. The
thoroughfare was covered with freshly cut grass and short
sprigs of evergreens. Young females dressed in white
headed the procession, carrying baskets of flowers, which
they occasionally strewed, whilst flowers were abundantly
thrown from almost every window. I firmly believe that
demonstrations of any inclination to impede or offend the
numerous sacerdotal functionaries engaged, would have
excited the general populace to a very prompt and violent
manifestation against the offenders. I feel equally con-
vinced that any similar religious or ecclesiastical demon-
stration in Paris could not pass through any street of that
city. It would be overwhelmed by mob violence, not from
its connection with any particular creed, but from the
popular dislike to any form of religion whatever.

CHATEAUBRIAND.

Whilst at St. Malo I visited the tomb of a man, the
great attributes of whose character, and the extraordinary
incidents of whose life, have been recently made the sub-
ject of a most interesting lecture, delivered by my truly
learned friend, Professor Robertson, and published,
amongst several others, by Mr. Kelly, of this city. I
allude to Francois-Ren6, Viscount de Chateaubriand, who
was born at St. Malo in the year 1768, and during a
life of eighty years witnessed the outbreak and many of
the horrors of the French Revolution ; who had, for his
personal safety, to undergo exile and penury, until his

2 1

482 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

literary acquirements and productions procured for him
the friendship and respect of strangers, and relieved him
from indigence. Then, having been enabled to return to
France, he published some romances, and also works of a
serious description, by which he acquired a high and last-
ing reputation. Subsequently, having travelled in Greece,
Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine, Barbary, and Spain, he made
the results of his travels the subject of a most interesting
Itinerary. In 1821 he was sent as ambassador to Prussia,
and in 1823 was appointed to a similar office at the
British Coutf. Towards the close of the reign of Louis
the Eighteenth, he became the French Minister of Foreign
Affairs, but did not continue long in office; he died in
1848 at Paris, and his remains were conveyed to St. Malo.
I have mentioned Chateaubriand as an illustrious and
highly gifted man, and my readers will be greatly surprised
when I add — He sleeps in a nameless tomb.

In his life time the municipality of St. Malo had, at his
request, granted a solitary rock in the bay of that seaport
for his place of sepulture. There his coffin was deposited
in a grave cut out of the solid stone, and surmounted by
a granite cross, which marks the last resting-place of one
whose reputation was far more than European. It bears
the short and simple inscription of "Here lies a Christian."
(Ci git un Chretien.) I believe, however, that the omission
of the name has caused all who have seen the tomb to
enquire who was its occupant, and has not tended to
render him forgotten, or his memory unappreciated by his
countrymen.

The foregoing notice of this celebrated native of St. Malo
had scarcely been put in type when I received a copy of
The Tablet newspaper, containing a communication from a
French correspondent relative to the inauguration of a

Chateaubriand. 483

Chateaubriand memorial at St. Malo, on Sunday the 5th of
September last. I presume to insert it in these pages, as
strongly confirming the opinions I have expressed, and
being likely to please and interest the reader by its intrinsic
merits.

" A Statue to Chateaubriand, —Yesterday (Sunday) the inauguration of
the Chateaubriand Memorial took place at Saint Malo. All the papers
are full of recollections of the author of the Genie du Christianisme.
Chateaubriand lived at a time when the evils of revolution had left the
strongest emotions in all hearts. There was a drama in every man's life, a
romance in every one's history. The very air was full of a floating, vague
poetry of sufferings and regrets, and disappointed hopes. Nature and mis-
fortune combined to make Chateaubriand a poet. A dreamy, unhappy
childhood heightened the sensitiveness of his feelings, and religion itself
was to him as poetry was— emotional. He saw his mother die, heard her
last prayer for himself, the child of her affections, for his welfare, temporal
and eternal. From that day he submitted to the Church's dominion. " I
wept," he says, " and I believed." He then travelled in America, and the
ocean and the wilderness revealed to the young man a new kind of poetry.
He went to Philadelphia to salute Washington. Subsequently he travelled
into the far West. Returning to Europe, Chateaubriand endured the
miseries of exile. That was the most unhappy part of his life. It was
then that he commenced authorship. We next hear of him at the siege of
Verdun, on the surrender of which place he found himself without resources.
After many vicissitudes of fortune he reached London, and betook himself
seriously to literary work. The remainder of his history is too well known
to need recapitulation here ; I therefore return to the fttt of yesterday.
The town of Saint Malo is small but curious by reason of its sombre
mediaeval aspect, its granite houses, its narrow, winding streets, and its
absence of greenery — not a lawn nor a shrub being visible anywhere.
Chateaubriand's native townsmen retain a lively recollection of him, and
welcomed the day with enthusiasm. A large number of strangers also paid
their respects to the tomb of the author of Les Martyrs. The emotion was
general when the procession reached the summit of the " Grand Be'," and
came in sight of Chateaubriand's monument High above the waves was
an iron railing and a cross of stone, nothing more. Its simplicity was
touching and -effective. Chateaubriand perhaps yielded to a feeling of pride,
in wishing to be buried thus on that elevated spot, with nothing in sight
but the immensity of the heaven and the immensity of the ocean : —

' Ccelum undique et undique pontus.'

Be that as it may, the people of Saint Malo have done honour to themselves
in honouring Chateaubriand. We may apply to him his own words about
Bossuet, ' His genius will stand like the mighty figure of Homer, always
seen through the long vista of the ages. It sometimes it is obscured by
the dust of a falling century the cloud soon disperses, and there it is again
in all its majesty, only overlooking new ruins.' '

CHAPTER XXXVI.

THE ARRAN ISLANDS CIRCUIT REMINISCENCES.

On my return from France, I found that my son, Frank
Thorpe, had accepted the appointment of medical officer in
the Islands of Arran, which lie at the entrance of Galway
Bay ; and at his earnest desire I proceeded to visit him
without the slightest -expectation of deriving from the trip
any pleasure, except that resulting from our meeting. On
my journey, as I reverted to the scenes and associations
which, in distant and foreign lands, had been almost
invariably agreeable, I felt convinced that I was certain of
finding, in the lonely insular locality to which I was going,
the most striking contrasts. The passenger communica-
tion between Galway and Arran was effected by a sailing
vessel of very moderate dimensions, but bearing the digni-
fied appellation of "The Yacht." She had one small
cabin for the reception of all ranks, sexes, or ages ; and as
the weather was neither wet nor cold, I preferred a seat
astern, and having procured a reeling-line from one of the
crew, amused myself by capturing mackerel until I had
acquired a couple of dozen. There were four lines in
operation during a run of about thirty miles, and for five
hours the catching of mackerel was incessant. The
skipper said that the bay was swarming with them, but

The Arran Islands. 485

tet-fishing was only followed in the vicinity of Galway
iwn, as the transmission of large quantities by sailing
>ats was considered extremely hazardous. If the capa-
city of Galway Bay for supplying enormous quantities of
lackerel, herrings, and occasionally pilchards, shall ever
made available, results may be obtained immensely
Advantageous to local interests, and most important to the
General community. I may revert briefly to this subject
whilst detailing some incidents of my sojourn amongst
the Arran islanders.

No traveller ever arrived in a locality to which he could
be supposed to attach a more slender expectation of being
gratified by what he might see or hear, or by the treatment
he might receive during his stay, than that felt by me at
the commencement of my visit to Arran. I was impressed
with a paramount idea, that I was to spend the time in a
bleak, sterile region, and amongst a population destitute
of almost every habitude or quality imparted by civiliza-
tion. I could not possibly have formed a more erroneous
opinion, for I never stood on any spot, in any of the
islands, without having in view, whether near or distant,
scenery sublimely picturesque; and I found the people,
without even an individual exception, unpresuming, unob-
trusive, civil, obliging, intelligent, and industrious. The
adults of both sexes generally indicate in their personal
appearance the effects of constant manual labor, and of
occasional privation, but they are mostly tall, vigorous,
and active. Many of the youthful females are decidedly
beautiful in features and figure, and there is no scarcity of
very pretty children. The aggregate population of the
three islands exceeds four thousand ; and although Irish
is the language generally spoken, I did not meet with any
who could not converse in English. Schools connected

CHAPTER XXXVI.

THE ARRAN ISLANDS CIRCUIT REMINISCENCES.

On my return from France, I found that my son, Frank
Thorpe, had accepted the appointment of medical officer in
the Islands of Arran, which lie at the entrance of Galway
Bay ; and at his earnest desire I proceeded to visit him^
without the slightest expectation of deriving from the trip
any pleasure, except that resulting from our meeting. On
my journey, as I reverted to the scenes and associations
which, in distant and foreign lands, had been almost
invariably agreeable, I felt convinced that I was certain of
finding, in the lonely insular locality to which I was going,
the most striking contrasts. The passenger communica-
tion between Galway and Arran was effected by a sailing
vessel of very moderate dimensions, but bearing the digni-
fied appellation of "The Yacht." She had one small
cabin for the reception of all ranks, sexes, or ages ; and as
the weather was neither wet nor cold, I preferred a seat
astern, and having procured a reeling-line from one of the
crew, amused myself by capturing mackerel until I had
acquired a couple of dozen. There were four lines in
operation during a run of about thirty miles, and for five
hours the catching of mackerel was incessant. The
skipper said that the bay was swarming with them, but

The Arran Islands. 485

net-fishing was only followed in the vicinity of Galway
town, as the transmission of large quantities by sailing
boats was considered extremely hazardous. If the capa-
bility of Galway Bay for supplying enormous quantities of
mackerel, herrings, and occasionally pilchards, shall ever
be made available, results may be obtained immensely
advantageous to local interests, and most important to the
general community. I may revert briefly to this subject
whilst detailing some incidents of my sojourn amongst
the Arran islanders.

No traveller ever arrived in a locality to which he could
be supposed to attach a more slender expectation of being
gratified by what he might see or hear, or by the treatment
he might receive during his stay, than that felt by me at
the commencement of my visit to Arran. I was impressed
with a paramount idea, that I was to spend the time in a
bleak, sterile region, and amongst a population destitute
of almost every habitude or quality imparted by civiliza-
tion. I could not possibly have formed a more erroneous
opinion, for I never stood on any spot, in any of the
islands, without having in view, whether near or distant,
scenery sublimely picturesque; and I found the people,
without even an individual exception, unpresuming, unob-
trusive, civil, obliging, intelligent, and industrious. The
adults of both sexes generally indicate in their personal
appearance the effects of constant manual labor, and of
occasional privation, but they are mostly tall, vigorous,
and active. Many of the youthful females are decidedly
beautiful in features and figure, and there is no scarcity of
very pretty children. The aggregate population of the
three islands exceeds four thousand; and although Irish
is the language generally spoken, I did not meet with any
who could not converse in English. Schools connected

486 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

with the National Board of Education are numerously
and regularly attended ; and although the generality of the
men and women appear to be attached to, and contented
with the locality in which they live, there is a great desire
frequently expressed to qualify their progeny to engage in
industrial pursuits or trading employments elsewhere.

There are no forest trees to be seen in any of the islands
except a few stunted sycamores. I saw two or three pear-
trees, which had been planted close to walls, but their
growth appeared to have been checked by the saline
atmosphere and shallow soil, and they produced no fruit.
On the hills I found a great variety of indigenous flower-
ing plants, which were very handsome, and in the rocky
dells there were several kinds of convolvulus of very rich
florescence. The Madagascar Periwinkle seems to be
perfectly acclimated, and blossoms profusely; and I was
greatly surprised to fiud a very abundant growth of hops,
the introduction of which is ascribed to the monks, by
whom the numerous old ecclesiastical structures were
formerly occupied. The tillage of the islands comprises
potatoes, mangold-wurtzel, vetches, rape, clover, oats, and
barley. The potatoes almost exclusively planted are
round, white tubers, generally small, but numerous, and
they are termed " Protestants." A perfect stranger might
be startled by hearing a direction given to put the Pro-
testants on the fire, or to roast them in the glowing turf;
but the proprietor of the Atlantic Hotel, in reply to an
observation of mine, said that *there was no offence in-
tended, for they found the Protestants very palatable. The
tillage crops are sometimes greatly devastated by cater-
pillars and grubs ; and I have frequently heard the abun-
dance of those pernicious insects attributed to the great
scarcity of sparrows and other small birds. Starlings are

The Arran Islands. 487

occasionally seen, but I never observed a swallow. Gulls
and other marine birds are very numerous, amongst which
the Ospray or sea-eagle is a conspicuous object. The
raven, crow, rook, or jackdaw cannot be found; but
there is a bird which I thought extremely handsome, very
numerous, especially in the North Island. It is the
Chough, which in addition to plumage dark and glossy,
like that of the jackdaw, displays a beak and legs of bright
scarlet. It is said that this bird was formerly to be seen
in flocks at various places on the English coast, especially
Dover cliff, and that now it cannot be found in any part
of the United Kingdom except the Arran Islands. I
should regret its extinction, for I know it to be handsome,
and it is reputed to be harmless.

I recollect reading, although I am unable to specify in
what work, that frogs were not indigenous to Ireland. It
was stated that in the reign of Elizabeth, a person con-
nected with the University of Dublin, then recently
established, brought from England a crock or jar of frog
spawn, which he emptied into a ditch at Beggars' Bush*
near Dublin, and that in his importation our present com-
munity of amphibious croakers and jumpers originated.
The probability of this statement is strengthened by the
fact, that frogs are not to be seen in the Arran Islands.

I believe that there is not a salmon fishery in Great
Britain or Ireland more abundant than the one at Galway.
I have there seen from the bridge the fish in such numbers
as I should have considered incredible if described. These
myriads of salmon entered Galway Bay from the Atlantic,
and passing the islands, proceeded about thirty miles to the
river where they appeared in such enormous quantities. I
therefore think that I should mention a most extraordinary
fact, that whilst I was at Arran, I saw, in a morning

488 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

stroll, five men drawing a seine net at the entrance to
Kilronan harbour. They took some herrings, a few flat
fish of various kinds, some whiting, some pollock, and a
salmon of about twelve pounds weight. I was desirous
of purchasing the latter, and they readily sold it to me for
two shillings ; but they all assured me that they did not
know wha£ kind of fish it was, and that they had never
seen one before.

The quantity of land capable of tillage in each island is
very limited, and consequently aflbrds employment only
to a small portion of the population. Fishing in the bay,
with boats rather poorly equipped, or drawing seine nets
in the creeks and entrance of the harbour, and cleaning
and drying the produce, are followed by many during the
favorable weather; but the principal employment of a very
considerable number of both sexes is gathering of the
seaweed, and converting it into kelp by calcination. I
believe that all other industrial occupations are of trivial
importance to the Arran people compared with the pro-
duction of kelp. The capability of Galway Bay to be
made a fishing station of immense importance has never
been denied ; it can produce an abundance of the choicest
piscatory delicacies, and frequently becomes, through its
entire extent, replete with mackerel or herrings. I venture
to express an opinion, that the greatest obstacle to the
development of such advantages is to be found in the feel-
ing of indifference, perhaps I might use a stronger term,
on the part of the people belonging to the various adjoin-
ing localities, to each other. I have heard, in Arran,
frequent expressions of contempt for the Connemara
fishermen, of dislike to the Clare people, and of utter
detestation of those belonging to the Claddagh at Galway.
On two occasions, in the South of England, I saw a great

The Arran Islands. 489

fleet of boats, comprising vessels from Cornwall, Devon-
shire, Hampshire, and Kent, co-operating amicably and
efficiently in surrounding a shoal of mackerel or pilchards.
On narrating these occurrences to some Arran fishermen,
I was told " it would be impossible to bring about such a
state of things there; and that, even if others became
agreeable, the Claddagh fellows would rather sail through
the nets of other fishermen than join in taking as much as
would fill evcrv boat."

Whilst I was at Arran some cases occurred of severe
typhus fever. There is no hospital in any of the islands.
The habitations are, with three or four exceptions, thatched,
and without any upper story. The invariable course
adopted was to nail up the door of the patient's apartment,
to take out the sashes of a window, and render it the sole
means of external communication. The medical attendant,
clergy, and nursetender, had no other means of iugress or
egress, and I never heard any objection made to the system.
My son contracted the disease, and although ten days
elapsed before a medical gentleman arrived from Galway, he
surmounted the fearful malady. I spent each night in his
apartment, and during the clay he was tended by a nurse.
Almost every night I heard some gentle taps outside of
the vacant window, and on going to it I would be told,
"My wife is afther making a pitcher of whay fur the poor
docthur ; you '11 find it on the windystool," or " I brought
you two jugs of milk, to make whay fur yer son; they're
on the windystool." When the crisis had passed, and
nutriments or stimulants were required, I would be told,
" We biled down two chickens into broth for the docthur,
I hope that it will sarve him/' Rabbits, chickens, and
joints of kid were tendered for his use, and even a bottle
of "rale Conuemara potteen" was deposited on the

490 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

window-stool. The people were all kind and anxious;
and when he became able to walk out, he was cordially
saluted and congratulated, but no person would approach
him if they could avoid it. They were all dreadfully
apprehensive that he might impart the direful contagion.
I brought him home as soon as possible, but he and I will
always remember most gratefully the unvarying kindness
and sympathy we experienced in Arran.

CIRCUIT REMINISCENCES.

Some friends of the Leinster Circuit have suggested
that a few descriptive notices of my personal recollection
of scenes in court, convivial evenings at the Bar-mess,
or other amusing incidents of the period between 1827
and 1840, during which time I had attended every
Assize Court held in Wicklow, Wexford, Waterford,
Kilkenny, and Tipperary, might not be unacceptable. The
subject is one in which the pleasures of memory are
mingled with numerous regrets; for of all those whose
learning and talents excited my respect and admiration,
or whose wit and conversational powers rendered their
society invariably delightful, very few remain. Of the
judges whom I remember, I considered Chief Baron
O'Grady (subsequently created Lord Guillamore) the most
amusing public functionary that I ever had seen. He
came our circuit but once during my time. At Wicklow
he presided in the Crown Court ; and amongst the cases
for trial there were .four or five for sheep-stealing, and they
were all convicted. Sheep-farming was at that time so
prevalent in Wicklow, and considered so important by the
class of persons who were summoned as jurors, that an
accusation of sheep-stealing almost invariably eventuated
in conviction. Towards the close of the assizes, a mem-

Circuit Reminiscences. 491

ber of the Militia band then stationed at Arklow was put
forward for trial on an indictment for the manslaughter of
a comrade, whom he had killed with his sword on a sudden
altercation. The case appeared fully to warrant a convic-
tion, but the jury, without even retiring, acquitted the
prisoner. Mr. Scott, the senior counsel for the crown,
expressed an indignant disapproval of the verdict, upon
which the Chief Baron observed, " Mr. Scott, the prisoner
is not yet discharged, and you can get a conviction imme-
diately if you only indict him for sheep-stealing." When
we proceeded to Wexford, the Chief Baron, as Record
Judge, had but two short cases to try, and when they
were disposed of, he engaged in the trial of criminals. A
woman named Hester Carrol], who had been for some
time a pest and disgrace to the town of Enniscorthy, was
put forward, charged with a robbery of a gold watch ana
chain, and upwards of twenty pounds, from a farmer, who
had become intoxicated in her society. She was found
guilty, and when the verdict was announced, a sergeant of
constabulary, who had been the principal means of her
detection, advanced to the table in the Record Court where
she was standing, to take away various articles which had
been found in her possession ; whereupon she sprang at
him, tore his face fearfully, and bit his hand very severely.
When she was disengaged from her intended victim, and
held so as to prevent further violence, the Chief Baron
pronounced the sentence of the court in terms which
seemed to me and others of his hearers to be an imitation,
in style and assumed solemnity, of that incident to a
capital offence. After some preliminary observations on
the heinous nature of her crime, and the certainty of her
guilt, and the tendency of her conduct in court to prevent
any mitigation of punishment, he concluded in the follow-

492 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

ing words — " The sentence of the court is that you, Hester
Carroll, shall be taken from the place where you now stand,
to the gaol from whence you were brought, and from
thence that you shall be transported for the term of seven
years to such penal settlement or colony as his Majesty's
government may direct, and may God have mercy upon
those who shall have to manage you there."

A prisoner was tried before him at Wexford on an
indictment for highway robbery, and although the evidence
amounted to a strong probability of his guilt, the verdict
was an acquittal. Richard Newton Bennett, who defended
the prisoner, immediately applied to the Chief Baron to
order the man to be liberated, to which the other replied,
"He will be discharged from custody, Mr. Bennett, to-
morrow at noon. I shall set out for Waterford in the
morning, and I wish to have a couple of hours start of
your client."

In my early professional days the law in reference to
njurics to growing crops of vegetables was very imperfect,
and although taking potatoes, turnips, &c, out of the
owner's ground was considered a very serious trespass, the
offence could not be treated as actual larceny. Some pro-
ceedings at Waterford, in reference to the abstraction of
turnips, were held to be insufficient to sustain an indict-
ment, and a deputation of the Grand Jury sought a con-
ference with Chief Baron CKGrady on the subject. One
of them asked his Lordship if the delinquents could be
made liable to punishment under the Timber Act, to which
he gravely replied, " Certainly not, unless you can prove
that the turnips were sticky "

Charles Kendal Bushe had been a member of the Lein-
ster Bar; and when he had attained the distinguished
position of Chief Justice, he frequently selected his former

Circuit Reminiscences. 493

circuit as a Judge of Assize. Amongst the members of the
Bar he was not merely respected and admired, but beloved.
Portly in his personal appearance, he was dignified without
ostentation, witty without sarcasm, learned without pe-
dantry, and his judicial duties were discharged with impar-
tiality, patience, kindness; and humanity. Kilkenny was
his native county, and amongst the gentry of that place
his family had been long established. The judges on cir-
cuit usually invite two or three barristers to dinner daily
in each town ; and I had the very agreeable honor of being
an occasional guest of Chief Justice Bushe. I recollect a
conversation relative to the criminal calendars of that time
compared with those of the previous century. The Chief
Justice said that the name of his family had been intro-
duced into the charge of a judge to the Grand Jury of
Kilkenny, about the year 1760, in terms far from compli-
mentary. There were then organised bands or gangs of
freebooters, who plundered and maltreated the proprietors
and tenants of estates, unless a certain subsidy, called rap-
paree rent, or blackmail, was paid for their forbearance, and
concealment and subsistence afforded whenever required.
He said that the Agar family, (pronounced Eager,) the
Floods, and the Bushes had become contributory to the
marauders, and sheltered them from capture. Rumors of
such an arrangement having been circulated, it was alluded
to by Baron Dawson telling the Grand Jury of Kilkenny
that their county was eager for prey, Jloodcd with iniquity,
and that every busk sheltered a knave.

Having given the Chief Justice's anecdote in reference
to three names, I may mention that my own name has
not passed scotfree. At our Bar-mess, the Hon. Patrick
Plunket was one evening insisting that I should sing a
particular song. I begged to be excused, but he perse-

494 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

vered, and continued exclaiming " Porter ! Porter !" I said
that "although I was ' Porter/ he should not make a butt
of me." He replied, " I dont want to make a butt of you,
I only wish to get a stave out of you."

Judge Torrens often came on our circuit, and generally
dined twice at the Bar-mess : one dinner being the custo-
mary banquet given by the Bar to the judges at Kilkenny,
and the other being by special invitation at Clonmel. He
was always desirous on such convivial occasions of obtain-
ing some vocal contributions, especially of a comic charac-
ter. His favorite song was " The Wedding of Ballyporeen."
He was Judge of the Record Court at Clonmel in 1833,
and immediately after taking his seat at the commence-
ment of the Assizes, was applied to by the late Mr.
Brewster, to fix a day for the trial of a case, the parties to
which, and their witnesses, had to come from the most
distant part of the country, namely, Ballyporeen. The
Judge made the order sought, saying, in a playful tone,
" Is Mr. Porter engaged in this Ballyporeen case ?" " No,
my Lord/' replied Brewster, " I regret that I have not the
assistance of my learned friend/'

a Most unquestionably,* said his Lordship, " he ought
to be in it."

There were some attorneys present who heard his re-
mark, but they were not aware of the origin of his sugges-
tion. Perhaps they ascribed it to a very favorable opinion
of my professional capacity, or to a feeling of personal
friendship ; but I found it subsequently productive of
several record-briefs, which I might truly say were obtained
" for a song."

In 1836, the Attorney-General (Richards) appointed
me to a Crown prosecutorship on the circuit. In the
afternoon of a day next before the opening of the Assizes

Circuit Reminiscences. 495

of Clonmel, in 1838, I was sitting and noting a brief,
whilst about a dozen more were lying on my table, when
I was informed that a gentleman wished me to grant him
an interview. Acceding to his request, I desired the ser-
vant to show him up, and I immediately perceived that he
was an ecclesiastic. I proferred him a chair, and he pro-
ceeded to inform me that he was the Rev. Mr. Coony, a
Catholic curate in a parish the name of which has escaped
my memory; but it was near Clonmel. He was young,
and zealous in advancing the religious interests of the
flock with which he had recently become connected, and
stated it was much to be regretted that the Catholic church
of his parish was so completely out of repair as to require
almost a total renovation. That he had been encouraged
by the character he had heard of me to appeal to my gene-
rous and charitable disposition for a subscription towards
rendering the church suitable and safe for his numerous
poor parishioners. I was inclined at the time to have a
little fun with his reverence, and said, " Well, sir, when
you have your church repaired, I suppose you will make it
as available as possible to the religious and moral improve-
ment of your people/'

" Certainly, sir ; we shall endeavor to do so."
"You will urge them to abstain from fighting and
killing each other, from administering unlawful oaths,
serving threatening notices, burning houses, houghing
cattle, or plundering firearms, and even from excessive
drinking/'

"Assuredly, sir, it will be our duty to do so."

t€ So you come to me, to persuade me to cut the ground

from under my own feet, by subscribing to further your

acknowledged intentions. I am a prosecuting counsel on

this circuit, and on the table before you I have a profitable

496 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

assortment of murders, conspiracies; and attempts to mur-
der, abductions, threatening notices, and faction-fights.
You would render my vocation worthless by inculcating
the observance of law and order, quietude, and temperance.
It would be much more reasonable that I should be asked
to subscribe to a society for the distribution of blunder-
busses and pistols."

" Oh !" exclaimed the astonished priest, " may heaven
grant that I shall never again bear such expressions from
human lips/'

"Well/* said I, "suppose we effect a compromise.
You expected to get a pound from me. Will you let the
poor Crown prosecutor off for half-a-sovereign ?"

"Mr. Porter," said he, a I now feel convinced that you
were jesting ; for, if you really felt as you spoke, you
would not give me a farthing."

I gave him the half-sovereign. We walked together to
" The Ormond," where we had some biscuits and wine,
and parted on most friendly terms.

For a considerable time previous to my retirement from
the Leinster Bar we had a junior member of that body
whose name it is unnecessary to mention fully. He had
been the adjunct or drudge of an attorney-general, and
was consequently known amongst us by the designation
of "Tom the Devil." I have heard that in his earlier
years he had been a midshipman on board the " Orwell,"
a splendid ship belonging to the East India Company, and
that for some special service which he undertook and ac-
complished under most dangerous circumstances, the Di-
rectors had allotted him a reward of one thousand guineas,
on the acquirement of which he returned home to Ireland,
and applied himself to the legal profession. He was
greatly liked amongst us, and none relished his society

Circuit Reminiscences. 497

more than I did. He frequently became my chum on
circuit, and on one occasion, at Clonmel, he asked me to
convey, in reference to a personal quarrel, the most liberal
offer perhaps ever made to an adversary. There was an
individual whose conduct and character were by no means
questionable, as they were fully ascertained to be thoroughly
disreputable, and he came to our lodgings whilst I was order-
ing breakfast. He was accompanied by another person who
had been concerned, as a second, in a recent hostile meet-
ing, and he stated that he wished to have an interview

with Mr. , meaning my chum, " Tom the Devil/'

who was still in bed in a small adjoining room. I went

to the door and said, " Tom, here is Mr. , who wants

to see you." He jumped up, and without adding any
other garment to his night-shirt, put his feet in his slippers
and entered the sitting-room ; then turning to the applicant
he haid, " What do you want with me ?"

" Mr. W ," was the reply, " I have been informed

that on several occasions you have insinuated various
matters prejudicial to my character, personal and profes-
sional ; and I deemed it necessary to have a direct expla-
nation as to whether you have expressed such injurious
insinuations."

Tom replied, "You have been altogether misinformed.
I can solemnly affirm, indeed I can safely swear, that
I never breathed any insinuation whatever respecting you."
The other bowed and seemed evidently gratified, but Tom
continued, " I admit that I have spoken of you, but not
indirectly. I have not hinted or insinuated, but plainly
stated that I considered you a low, mean, ignorant, petti-
fogging blackguard. That is my explanation ; and now,
sir, if you will only wait until I draw on my boots, I shall
feel much pleasure in kicking you down stairs."

u

498 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

I stepped forward, and implored the interrogating party
and his friend to retire. I said that the apartment was
mine, and that I would not allow any further altercation
there, I succeeded in getting them away, and then I said
to my candid chum, "This is a most unpleasant affair
to occur in my presence. It may be highly injurious
to me, for it will produce a challenge and a hostile meet-
ing."

€t He wont fight/' observed Tom. " They are gone down
the street, and as you are dressed, slip on your hat, and
follow them. Tell the rascal to make no further row here,
but to start at once for Milford, where I'll meet him. Tell
him that my brother gave me forty pounds yesterday, and

if he fights me Pll give him twenty, and, by , I'll pay

for his funeral into the bargain.39

I declined carrying this liberal offer. I may add that
there was no challenge sent, and the party against whom
there had been no insinuation immediately retired from
the profession. I cannot call to mind any further remi-
niscences connected with the Leinster Circuit. I regret
that, whilst 1 was a member of it, I did not keep a regular
diarv.

In the foregoing pages I have mentioned occurrences
and personal observations incident to my sojourns in
France, Germany, Spain, and England. In all the cities
which I visited, I found the people by no means in-
different to the reputation of their respective localities, or
disposed to impress strangers with the opinion, that they
had arrived in a place where vulgarity, dishonesty, and
brutal violence habitually prevailed; and where to the
worst and most appalling crimes there had been publicly
accorded

" A local habitation and, a name."

Conclusion. 499

It would seem specially reserved for Dublin, my native
* city, to record by public inscriptions, and to insert in the
list of our metropolitan thoroughfares, that within the
municipal precincts there may be found a Cow-parlour,
a Pigtown, a Cheater's Lane, a Stonetbatter, a
Cutthroat Lane, and a Murdering Lane. It may
be said that these places are mostly of small dimensions,
but they appear in Thorn's Official Directory in the same
type, and fully as conspicuous to the eye of a stranger as
the most populous and important of our streets or squares.
Within my memory Skinner Row has been metamorphosed
into Christchurch Place, Dirty Lane has become Bridge-
foot Street, half of Exchequer Street has been converted
into Wicklow Street, and French Street has been elevated
into Upper Mercer Street. Surely the same authority
that effected such alterations ought to substitute other
names for those which cannot be retained without con-
tinuing to impute to our city that it contains places
specially appropriated to low, vulgar, dishonest and san-
guinary practices. During my tenure of magisterial office
I found the city of Dublin capable of very favorable com-
parison with any other place of similar extent and popula-
tion ; and I consider the names to which I have referred
most unjustifiably false and defamatory. The designation
of one of our bridges has lately been changed, and it is to
be henceforth made conducive to the memory of Grattan.
The motives of those who proposed such an alteration
were undoubtedly patriotic and praiseworthy ; but identi-
fying the truly illustrious orator and statesman with a
bridge across the Liffey will not, in the present state of
the river, tend to keep his name in good odour.

Since my return home I have lived in such retirement
and quietude that I cannot refer to any incident worthy of

500 Gleanings and Reminiscences.

insertion in these pages. In concluding these " Gleanings
and Reminiscences/' I have to assure my readers that I
have sedulously endeavoured to minister to their informa-
tion or amusement. If I have succeeded, their approval
will impart great happiness to the closing years of my life;
and having done my utmost, I trust that they will accord
me a favorable criticism, for which I shall be deeply
grateful.

Pokteols & Gibus, Printer*, Dublin.

01a/

OEC 1 2 1939

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